


Hunters of the Darkness

by GoneRampant



Category: Destiny (Video Game), RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But I could be wrong there, Canon Compliant, Crossover, Gen, I don't think this requires a lot of Destiny lore to understand, I mean it's RWBY of course it's gonna be Action/Adventure, In the sense that it loosely follows the main plot of RWBY, POV Multiple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-09-14 05:18:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 59,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9163849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoneRampant/pseuds/GoneRampant
Summary: Wherein three Guardians find themselves in a whole new world, get caught up in local politics, and make butterfly effects within butterfly effects. As the old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.Destiny content happens post Rise of Iron. RWBY content begins in Volume One.





	1. Strange Journey

Waking Ruins, Ishtar Sink, Venus- May 14th, 2634:

Looking at it from the depths of space, Venus reminded one of its glory days during the Golden Age. Visited by the Traveller, the toxic air of Venus was swept away and humanity colonised it, making it a paradise for all. It was there that humanity uncovered ancient ruins from before their colonisation, ruins dating back thousands of millennia.

And now, centuries later, these ruins were playing a new part in history as a battleground in the war between the Guardians and the Vex. The Guardians fought for the Light and for the Traveller, fighting for humanity to breathe another day. The Vex fought for their Nexus, a network of hive minds dead set on converting everything to their Pattern and into the techno-organic hybrid forms that they now sported. Regardless of their intent, they were committed to eliminating or converting humanity, and the Guardians would be there every time to hold the line and send them packing. In that context, this battle was like the many that had been fought before and would be fought in the future.

Sanguine grunted as the Goblin jumped up onto her back, claws scrambling across her visor. Across the gorge, the Hobgoblin she had been set on taking out reposition, keeping its optics on the Warlock as it waited for a clear shot. Sanguine saw the bipedal creature skid to a stop, rifle raised and ready to fire. As the shot arced through the Hobgoblin’s rifle, she dropped down to a crouch, the Goblin looking up in time to take the rifle shot to its upper chassis. Flung back by the blast, it looked up in time to see Sanguine slamming down onto it, her fist bathed in the dark colours of the Void. She buried her fist into its central core, the glowing component melting into slag under the heat of her fury.

The second shot glanced past her cheek, and she was moving again, rolling over to her rifle. She raised it as the Hobgoblin lined up a shot. But she was faster on the trigger. Her rifle pulsed, four rounds slamming into the already scorched chest of the Hobgoblin. It was flung back against the wall, the optic unit flickering twice before it faded out.

She caught her breath, sliding a fresh magazine into her rifle. Her motion tracker confirmed that there was no more Vex alive around her, giving a second before she had to keep pressing into the Ruins. She had a deadline to meet. Beside her head, a flash of light formed into a small floating drone with a blue circular eye in its centre and teal highlights across the rest of its body. Her Ghost floated down to the Goblin body- one of many she had made since entering this chasm.

“The Vex aren’t making this easy for us.” It hesitated. “Not that they ever make it easy, but you know what I’m saying.”

The Vanguard- the effective ruling body of Guardians, or at least the closest that they had- had learned from scouts on Venus that the Vex were uniting large amounts of their forces in the Ishtar Sink underneath one of the towering skyscrapers that littered the surface of Venus. Since any amount of Vex unifying was a powder keg waiting for a spark, it was decided with uncharacteristic haste for the Vanguard to send a Fireteam in. With the large amounts of Vex present around the base of the building, the Fireteam decided to enter using the underground networks, each approaching from a different angle to maximise the chance of finding a way inside.

“Let’s just hope it’s easier for Noir and Umbra,” Sanguine replied. “We might have caught the bulk of their forces down here and given them a clear path.” Ghost stopped and looked at the Warlock as she caught herself and sighed.

“And through saying that, I have doomed them to have even more Vex hounding them until we meet up, haven’t I?”

“Well, I didn’t wish to be the one to say anything in case we said something worse in the process…”

Ghost flickered away as Sanguine chuckled to herself. Hefting her rifle, she moved deeper into the tunnels.

* * *

 

Umbra-42’s armour was scorched and marked in numerous places where the Exo had taken enemy fire to it. Even though the armour was self-replicating and could slowly re-forge components that were heavily damaged, the marks would still be there until she found some time to wipe it clean. The Titan crouched behind a pillar, sliding shells into his shotgun one at a time. On the other side of the pillar, a contingent of Vex forces were pouring fire onto her haphazard cover. Hobgoblin sniper fire tried to take off any body parts that poked over the cover for even a fraction of a second. For the Exo, herself a machine, it was all she needed to poke out her rifle and pour out her own return fire. All the while however, Goblins tried to swarm the position, only to meet her shotgun as they rounded the pillar. But the Minotaur units were proving to be the real issue. It wasn’t enough for the mechanical titans to fire explosive rounds that rocked the pillar back, while armed with shielding that let them tank shots that would otherwise be fatal to other members of the Vex. No, the giants also had to know how to _teleport_ too, which made them even more irritating.

One such Minotaur, having noticed the improvised kill zone that had ensued from the Goblins mindlessly charging the Exo’s position, used such a manoeuvre to plant itself a few meters behind the pillar. The one bright side was that the short-range teleportation absorbed a large chunk of the processing power of the Minotaur, resulting in it not being able to fire for a few seconds as power was re-routed to weapons systems.

Umbra wasn’t fond of retreating, especially when she was as close to the plaza as she was, but holding her current position was steadily amounting to a near impossible task with the sheer numbers. If the Vex were just a little more well grouped up, she would have a trump card to break their lines. As it was, they were smart enough to distance themselves. Grunting in reluctance, she quickly switched to her rifle and ran, slipping past the Minotaur, dodging past its heavy fire as she put distance between herself and the Vex lines. As she reached a small alcove, she slipped a grenade out of a pouch, pirouetting and tossing it at the feet of the Minotaur as several Goblins and Hobgoblins moved up to press the supposed advantage.

She didn’t stop to see the aftermath, ducking into the alcove and letting her armour regenerate. Her head darted out, optics taking in the fallen Goblins. The Hobgoblins had broken out their barriers, keeping them in place but nullifying much of the damage. The Minotaur had lost its shields, and she pressed the advantage, lifting her rifle to her shoulders and unloading a barrage into it. Minotaurs had no real point to shoot, but the shots aimed at the centre-mass of the target sliced through the armour, toppling the beast.

Umbra darted back inside the alcove, focusing for a second on her rifle. It began to fragment apart into splinters of Light in her hands, becoming compartmentalised into its digital blueprint before being stored inside her Ghost. In exchange, the rifle was replaced by an old-fashioned style of shotgun, modified with a scope and extended barrel. Cocking the Universal Remote, she allowed a small smirk to run across her face as she aimed and fired.

* * *

 

Noir was, for lack of a better word, lost. The Hunter had delegated to enter a crapped sewer tunnel in contrast to his colleagues, who favoured entering areas already charted by other Guardians. On the bright side, it meant that he had an easy time slipping past the Vex defences, and was making slow but steady progress towards the open area under the building that they were meeting at.

On the downside… he was in a sewer. His cape was _ruined._ It was a beautiful cape, white as snow and inlaid with glittering gems, one he’d been proud to earn and wear, especially when it came to rubbing it in to Sanguine and her scarlet longcoat. Not that she could ever know he was competing- not only would that nullify the advantage he had over her in that he was competing, but it would simply be _uncouth._ Besides, he had too much fun making up words to make the Awoken ponder over, like frabjulous.

As it stood, he was up to his boots in murky liquid that could have been there since the Golden Age… and smelled like it, to boot… and the bottom of the cape was getting soggy. But he ultimately pushed such dire thoughts out of his mind. He had a mission to complete, which necessitated getting out of this sewer soon.

“Schematics show an old service ladder up ahead at the end of this tunnel. Should be able to get you close to the underground plaza.” Ghost flickered into existence beside him. Sure enough, less than a hundred meters later, an old ladder was there before the tunnel abruptly cut off, with the grate above long forgotten. Positioning himself under it, the Hunter jumped up, the micro-thrusters in his boots elevating him to where he could grasp the lid of the entrance with his fingers. Soon enough, he was out of the grate. It was here that he saw the tunnel ended because it came to a bridge. Evidently, the denizens of Golden Age Venus felt the need to have sewage tunnels large enough for a grown person to crawl through.

Noir’s thoughts were interrupted by a rapid stream of gunfire. Sliding into cover at the side of the bridge, he poked his head out, smirking when he saw his old friend pinned down by a Minotaur and Hobgoblins. As he watched, Noir saw Umbra pull back, leading the Hobgoblins closer to the Minotaur, before a grenade and rifle fire made short work of the Minotaur and surrounding Hobgoblins. Noir pulled a rifle off his back- longer than the one Umbra was using and decorated with a green net and assorted paint, and with a much higher kick to it. Pulling back the slide, he raised his rifle to his eye before aiming at a Hobgoblin pressing in.

Because sometimes, the best way to deal with the Vex was with a little Time and Patience.

* * *

 

As Sanguine made her way further through the tunnels, now mercifully clear of Vex, she kept her motion tracker in her peripheral vision. Barring the occasional rumble which could be either attributed to a fault line or just large machinery overhead, the area was now clear of hostiles.

It was almost too good to be true… which of course led to hear hearing the resounding _boom_ of a sniper rifle a few minutes later. Immediately, her pace quickened as Ghost began to scan for the source of the shot. Thankfully, the rifle soon fired continuously after that, giving the drone a solid area to plant a waypoint on. The Warlock quickened her pace, determined to join the fight.

“We’re some ways out, but the maps show we have a good chance of coming out at the plaza.” Ghost noted. Sanguine flexed her hand, watching as it lit up with Void energy.

* * *

 

Noir slid the bolt back on his rifle as another Hobgoblin fell and he exchanged magazines. His rifle was of a high enough calibre that even with the shielding that Hobgoblins possessed, it was capable of punching through their cores and snuffing them out like a candle before they could react. Below him, Umbra blasted a Goblin almost clean in half with her Universal Remote, pushing past the Vex corpses that had previously hindered her. The Exo reached the top of a staircase that opened out into a large atrium-like room that had a large matte black circle carved into the ground that was a foot high, surrounded by three starch grey pillars in the room that rose nearly to the top of the atrium, which was easily over a hundred and fifty feet tall. On the other side appeared to be the remains of a circular elevator shaft. She turned to the human on the bridge overhead, nodding once as she exchanged her shotgun for her auto rifle.

Noir returned the nod dispassionately. He slid a new round into the rifle before vaulting over the ledge. His armoured legs easily absorbed the shock of the fall, and he strode up to the Titan. As he did, his rifle compartmentalized into its Engram state, and in its place, he held a revolver with a golden barrel. Umbra took the lead as they moved down the steps, both with their weapons out. Umbra’s Ghost faded in.

“Those pillars… something’s off about them. Can you get me in closer?”

Umbra stepped up, moving into the circle. Up close, it seemed that the circle was marked by deep grooves that spread across the entire length of the circle- exactly twelve feet wide and twelve feet across. Each of the pillars also had what appeared to be a folded-up pitch black device on top of each of the pillars. The devices were covered in what appeared to be loose wiring, with a circular piece folded up on the side. Umbra walked cautiously over to the nearest pillar, raising her left hand. Her Ghost appeared, an almost comically bright teal in colour, and began to scan the pillar.

“Fascinating… the metals these are made of… they haven’t been seen since before the Collapse! There’s power lines underneath each of them. They all seem to connect to a series of generators throughout the building. I can’t tell what this thing was built for… but if it needs this much power it could be anything and everything. This is connected in one way or another to nearly every grid in the Ishtar Sink.”

From the other side of the atrium, the sounds of running footsteps began to echo through the narrow tunnel and into the wide atrium. Noir’s cannon was up in a heartbeat- the sounds were carrying further than his motion tracker, so he’d need to see who was coming before he’d know if they were a friendly or not. His fears were ultimately assuaged when it was Sanguine, the Warlock lowering her weapon as she stepped out onto a bridge that connected to another entrance to the elevator shaft. Noir gave her a short wave and she nodded, jumping off the side of the nearby bridge. A faint blue aura surrounded her as she fell, slowing her fall down and cushioning the blow. Within a few seconds, the three Guardians stood in the circle, looking around the wide area they found themselves in. Their Ghosts scanned the trio of structures surrounding them, blue lights flashing out as they analysed separate areas. Umbra began to move to the edge of the platform.

“This is fascinating, but we need to focus on our mission. We can tell the Vanguard about this place and they’ll be able to examine it after we clear out the Vex above.” The Ghosts almost seemed to wilt at this before they disappeared in a flash. Noir stepped off after Umbra, with Sanguine close behind.

As she stepped off the edge of the circle, a deep thrumming sound began to resonate through the room. Red emergency lights in the elevator shaft came on, while the circle started to rumble.

“I just wanna say…” Ghost started. “I didn’t touch anything.”

With this, multiple Vex began to fall down the elevator shaft, crawling forward and firing as they moved. As one, the Guardians began to unload hellfire on them, tossing grenades into the thick of the hoard in front of them. The onslaught only relented when their weapons clicked empty, but after having worked together for as long as they had, their movements were synchronized faultlessly. But they were only three, and while they brought down many Vex over the next several minutes, the three Guardians were slowly pushed back onto the circle. Their armour took several shots, preventing the Guardians from being several damaged, but as more and more Vex appeared, more of their armour became covered in scorch marks.

As they pulled back for cover, the three pillars began to shudder. The devices on top of each of them began to spread out like the legs of a spider, forming with only a small distance between the three of them over the exact centre point of the circle. They began to rotate- slowly at first, but gradually speeding up to where multiple shots from both the Vex and the Guardians were intercepted. But the hail of fire still impacted around the Guardians.

The circular altar-like structure began to ascend, set to a great groaning sound as age-old mechanics came back to life. After several continuous minutes of rising, with the Vex having long since ceased fire, the altar abruptly came to a halt. The Guardians were thrown back by the sudden impact, with Noir teetering over the edge for a moment before Umbra grabbed him by both of his arms, pulling the human back.

Sanguine looked straight up, at the three interconnected devices. The circular ports each folded out, resting on top of one another over the centre of the circle. Electrical currents were running through each of them, jumping between the three outstretched pillars and forming an almost solid mass of electricity between them. The circles began to pulsate with power, a beam of raw white energy flashing into existence. Slowly, the circles began to descend with the beam, which formed into the shape of a flat oval. Sanguine rolled to the right as the bottom of the oval landed where she was previously lying. The three Guardians stood loosely around the oval, their Ghosts reappearing and examining the oval of energy.

Noir ran his hand over the impromptu barrier that ran between each of the pillars. “Solid as rock, but smooth as glass. This isn’t going to dissipate until it runs out of juice.” His gaze shifted to the circles. “Ghost? Any ideas?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. That oval appears to be some sort of teleportation portal. Destination… unknown.”

“That’s not ominous at all.” Umbra muttered under her breath. The Exo stayed beside Noir, also feeling along the barrier for a weak point. Sanguine, meanwhile, got back up on her feet, staring into the oval. The light reflected off her helmet as she took a few unconscious steps towards the light, her hand moving up of its own accord.

“Fascinating…” she said, more to herself than her fellow Guardians. The two turned around as they heard the spoken word, seeing Sanguine move closer to the beacon of light.

“Sanguine, wait-” Umbra began, before the Warlocks hand brushed against the oval. A sudden flash ensued throughout the room, burning Noir’s eyes even through the polarity of his visor. When his vision returned to normal, there was no evidence of Sanguine having ever stood beside the portal.

“Ghost! What the hell just happened?” Noir attempted to rush to where Sanguine had been before she vanished, but Umbra once again grabbed him by the arms, holding him in place.

“I don’t know, but the effect it just had on this place… we need to get out of here fast, before bad things start to happen!”

“… Define ‘bad things’ for me.”

“This place becoming ground zero for a thermonuclear explosion that has a chance of wiping out the entire Ishtar Sink?”

Noir looked over his shoulder at Umbra. “Yeah, that’s pretty bad. Got a way out of this?”

“One. You won’t like it.”

“My friend just entered a teleporter than goes somewhere we have no idea of.” Umbra butted in. “Tell us.”

“You have to jump into the portal.”

Umbra stared at Noir’s Ghost for a few seconds. Even though she was wearing a full-face helmet, Ghost had the distinct impression that she was not amused.

“You’re right. I don’t like it.” The Exo sighed. “But we won’t be able to get out fast enough. Even if we break this barrier, we aren’t fast enough to reach the surface and get to our ships, let alone fly fast enough to get out of the blast radius.” She slowly released her grip on Noir’s shoulders. “Besides, like hell am I leaving a friend behind.”

Noir slipped his pistol into its holster, rolling his shoulders and neck. “Well then,” he said with a hint of cheer. “What’re we waiting for?”

With that, he threw himself into the portal, vanishing much like Sanguine. Umbra sighed.

“These two are gonna be the death of me.” She growled, before setting her shoulders and charging in.

* * *

 

For Noir, it felt like falling. A constant, never-ending fall through a tunnel of pure whiteness. The only colour was the dark blue of the armour that covered his hands, which were held out in front of him. Noir had known of the time travel capabilities of the Vex- he knew Guardians who had braved the Vault of Glass and seen worlds and timelines where there was no resistance to the Vex. But it was one thing to hear about the horrors of coming undone in one world and being re-forged, piece by piece, in another.

As he watched his hands, desperate for something to cling onto before his own mind started to fracture under the strains of time, they began to shift. The armour melting away, leaving the hands that degraded down to muscle, then bone, then ash. The ash then reformed itself into the hands of a small child, before rapid acceleration made them the hands of a grown man, before time withered them into those of a decaying senior. In a flash, his hands were his own hands, safely wrapped in his gauntlets.

He had no idea how much time had slipped, or how much would be left until he made it out of this tunnel. All he could do was fall, through what seemed like eternity. He had a mouth, and an eon later, it let out a scream.

And then- no more white constantly surrounding him. Instead, he saw to the left and right the blackness of space itself. The stars seemed a little different, but it was something different- something new. He didn’t have much time to process it however, due to what was in front of him. The moon. Closing in fast.

His arms flailed- he could move again! - but it failed to slow him down. He called out, but no Ghost answered his call. His armour failed to respond to his commands, the thrusters not firing up to slow him down. He hit the moon, impacting hard on its crater- he could feel the bones crack in his ribs. For a few seconds, he simply breathed hard, haggard breaths. Slowly, he began to pick himself up- when he was flying again. He saw the moon as he was almost pulled away from it rapidly, like a child watching a toy being pulled out of its grasp. And then, he saw lines carving their way through the moon, fracturing the surface and splitting up the surface of the moon into tens, hundreds, thousands…

And then the moon split open, like a gun had been lowered to its head and the trigger pulled. Noir felt his vision fade as he rocketed back, the G-Forces slamming him into unconsciousness as his vision went white again.

* * *

 

Another flash of white behind his eyes and he jerked to. He saw only the blue of a calming sky. His hands were buffeted underneath him, and he felt his cape covering his torso like a blanket. He also heard a familiar voice in his head, and he could have cried after how long it had felt since he felt that presence.

“- wake up! You need to wake up!”

And that was when it dawned on him, the memories rushing back to him- Sanguine, the tunnel of raw time, the moon- and then another realisation hit him. He was falling. And then his senses where overwhelmed by the sensation of falling.

“Ghost? You still there?” He could barely hear his own voice over the howling of the wind.

“Barely! That jump did a number on my systems, I’ve had to manually reboot everything. The good news at least is that we’re not fragmented across thousands of timestreams. The bad news though is… we’re in freefall and about to hit the surface in under a minute.”

His vision picked up puffs of grey to the sides- clouds. Noir deftly turned around, seeing a vast forest and assorted chasms and mountains rapidly closing in.

“More bad news is that a lot of your Engrams are screwed up. I got your armour back on you, but subsystems like the jumpjets aren’t cooperating. I can try to get them back online, but so many other systems need manual rebooting, which means pouring Light into them… I have a very bad idea.”

If Noir could, he would have gestured around. His attempts at doing so wound up spinning him so he was back to facing the sky. “We’re all out of good ones Ghost, hit me!”

“Well, poor choice of words. I won’t… but the ground will.”

It took a few seconds for Noir to realize where Ghost was going with this. The tips of gargantuan trees began to pass his vision. “Hang on, I’m not the hugest proponent of self-preservation, but that’s insane!”

“Even if we get the jumpjets online, the backlash from stopping so fast will blow your kneecaps out! As well, I don’t have enough Light in me to fix everything and then heal you. If you land the hard way, I’ll have time to recharge enough Light to get vital systems back online and have things at least functional by the time I get you back up.”

Noir sighed. “It’s gonna hurt either way, is what you’re saying. Fine then. But I-”

Whatever Noir was about to say was intercepted by him slamming into the ground at terminal velocity, his vision slamming to black.

* * *

 

Far away from this improvised landing site, two teenaged girls found themselves in an argument concerning matters of life and death.

“What was that?! That should have been easy!” Ruby Ruse pointed behind her at a burning tree, behind which were several Grimm she could have taken out blindfolded, except for this person to drag her away before the fun could really get started.

Her sparring partner, Weiss Schnee, folded her arms. Ruby had nearly gotten herself killed by charging headfirst into one of her attacks- it was a miracle Weiss had changed the angle of her attack enough that the redheaded fool hadn’t been killed on her first day. And she had the gall to blame _her?_

“Well perhaps if you had exercised even the slightest amount of caution-“

Ruby looked up as a sharp boom resonated through the forest, cutting off Weiss. “Weiss?”

“I heard it too.” The heiress had her hand on her blade, scanning the nearby area.  

“Obviously. But the good news is that it should attract Grimm that way. We’ll have a safer trip if we keep our distance from that sound”

With that, Weiss turned around on her heel and moved further into the forest, her stance brokering no argument. Ruby let out a quiet sigh, holding Crescent Rose close to her chest as she followed.

“Maybe it was just someone else using explosives? I hope so.” The alternative, of something making that sound by hitting the ground at a fast pace… that wasn’t a train of thought she wanted to continue. Regardless, there were more pressing concerns at hand- like finding whatever Ozpin sent them to find so they could become students at Beacon.


	2. Chapter 2- Hard Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the Hunter has a soft landing, an heiress wolfs down an encounter, and acquaintances are made.

 

Unknown:

_Destiny OST- “Guardian.”_

“Guardian? Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian!”         

Noir’s vision was fuzzy as he woke up, his eyes rapidly opening and closing as he struggled to regain his focus. Resurrection from death was a normal part of a Guardian’s life- among the many gifts bestowed upon the Ghosts by the Traveller, the ability to resurrect Guardians was one of the more practical. But even still, after-effects of the cause of death could still sometimes last through rebirth if they were particularly painful or shocking.

The view beyond his Ghost floating in front of his face was that of a cloudy sky, with patches of blue sticking out. Trees dominated his peripheral vision, reaching up to the sky. Looking down at his own body, Noir saw that his armour had been removed, showing only the dark blue hardsuit underneath. His hand felt for his throat, hissing slightly as he felt the bare skin around his mouth. He’d have to regrow out his beard now, which was an irritation he’d never overcome.

“How long have I been out?” His voice was a little raspy as the vocal cords were used for the first time in this iteration.

“Just over seventeen minutes. I’ve been ready to wake you up for a little while, but I was running diagnostic checks first. Everything’s fine on my end, at least. Hang on, I’ll re-enable your armour.”

As Noir looked down at the hole he left in the ground on impact, he felt a sudden familiar weight come into place around his body. His armour, indicative of most Hunters, was modest and under-designed in contrast to the stylish effort Titans and Warlocks displayed. In some places, his arm-guards even seemed to be made of patchwork leather, but that was a merely aesthetic choice- the Light was a curious substance, one that readily allowed the patchwork arm-pieces to be more durable than metal. Noir wasn’t complaining. But right now, he needed to focus and get plans into place.

“Alright then, so I’m alive again and everything’s back online on your end, so let’s find the others and make our way back to the Tower.”

Ghost seemed to almost wilt at this. As his helmet appeared in his hands, Noir saw this and frowned. “Something up?”

“While you were out, I did a basic topographical scan of this area, so we could get moving. Problem is… I don’t know where we are.”

Noir’s breath caught in his throat. “You don’t know something?”

“Not just that, I’m not even sure we’re in the Sol system right now. I’d have to get a definite look at the constellations or a star-map, but the mountains to the north? Nothing like them in any segment of recorded history on any planet with a habitable atmosphere. The carbon footprint alone is setting off warning signs- there’s no sign of ozone layer damage or emissions from overhead aircraft!”

“That…” Noir ran the numbers in his head. “That can’t be possible. Even the forests on the other end of Russia from the Cosmodrone had overhead emissions. But I’ll take your word for it. What do you think happened?”

Ghost pondered it for a moment. “The portal, almost definitely. If nothing else, then just because the Vex were near it. You and I have seen the Black Garden, we know they can travel through dimensions and travel through time. If you want my guess on what happened? They set its coordinates for some random timeline they didn’t even know existed and dumped us all here.”

Noir signed, rubbing his face with his free hand. “I always wondered why they didn’t just do that given how often we screw over their plans.”

“We really should have asked the Stranger about that before she left.”

“Yeah…” Noir slipped his helmet on, connecting the helmet to his hardsuit to the sound of a low hiss of air. He began moving forward, loosely to the north. “Either way, what about the others? Any sign of them having shown up?”

“Nothing yet. Given how little we know about the Vex or their time travel systems, it’s possible they’ve already arrived and are somewhere here… or have yet to arrive. And that’s if we all went to the same place.”

“Let’s hope for the best-case scenario. They’re here. We just gotta find them.” Noir flipped up his hood, before stopping and whipping out a long white mat. Placing it on the ground and smoothing it out, he knelt in front of it and proceeded to pull out a variety of revolvers. Working swiftly and silently, each one was quickly dismantled, the firing mechanisms all thoroughly examined. Each one was emptied of ammo before fresh rounds were inserted. Each one he held up and aimed down the sights, before nodding and moving onto the next one. In total, six of these cannons lay on the matt in front of him- Hawkmoon, the Ace of Spades, the Last Word, the First Curse, Thorn and the Appellant III. Nodding to himself, Noir waved his hand over four of the weapons, leaving only Ace of Spades and the Last Word on the rag. Sliding those two weapons into holsters at his hip alongside a collection of knives and grenades, Noir rolled the mat up and moved back up to his own feet.

“You know, I automatically repair your weapons when you break them down into an Engram. You don’t need to do that at all.” Ghost’s voice was, despite being partly synthetic, able to convey a wry tone easily. Noir shrugged in response.

“Old habits die hard, I guess. I use those guns a lot, I wouldn’t rest easy if I didn’t look for myself occasionally. Anyway, I’m guessing you’re scanning the area?”

“Exactly. We appear to be out in the middle of nowhere, but- aha! Two electronic signals to the north, about two and a half clicks and moving north-by-north-west. If there’s a wireless network, I should be able to patch in from there and figure out more about where we are. Plotting an intercept course.”

Noir looked to the north as a waypoint was placed on his HUD. “Trees are too narrow to use the Sparrow without risking a crash, gonna have to go on foot.” Ghost bobbed in mid-air, simulating a nod, before flickering into fragments of light.

“Not that I could anyway,” Noir finished under his breath. “I still need to get it fixed first from that accident on Mars.” Equipment checked, he set off after the floating beacon in his visor.

* * *

 

A moderate distance to the north, Ruby and Weiss continued their solitary trek through the forest in search of a collection of relics Professor Ozpin wanted them to find. Weiss led the two teenagers north, occasionally checking her scroll’s compass function to confirm their path. Ruby rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

“Weiss, can we talk for a second?”  Weiss didn’t stop walking, but inclined her head, fixing Ruby a look from over her shoulder.

“It’s just… about back there. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be trying to start a fight with my partner on the first day, but I wanted to make a good impression so I wanted to look really cool as I took out some Grimm and I’m used to fighting alone-”

“Ruby.” Weiss turned around and held a hand up to stop the motormouth. “I… feel I should say sorry too. You’re not the only one who has to get used to fighting as part of a group and not alone, so I guess some of the blame lies with me.”

Ruby began to open her mouth, but Weiss interrupted. “Granted, you are still reckless and prone to dangerous actions that have a severe risk of harming you, but such mistakes are expected of us as beginner Huntresses.” Weiss hesitated.

“Truth told, I also owe you an apology for my behaviour yesterday. I suppose it was rather hypocritical of me to lecture you on proper Dust safety management while waving it around-”

In the distance, a growl could be heard throughout the forest. The two teenagers immediately had their weapons out and were back-to-back. Ruby’s eyes scanned the treeline, her gaze unblinking.

“Sounds like more Beowolves. We should keep moving.”

Weiss nodded tersely, and the two took off further into the forest.

* * *

 

“We have an issue.” On a cliff edge overlooking the Emerald Forest, two people, a man clutching a coffee cup and a woman with a stern expression, looked at the information on their scrolls. The woman looked over at Ozpin. “Someone’s in the Emerald Forest right now. Someone who’s not one of our students.”

Ozpin took a long sip of his coffee as his other hand deftly manoeuvred between the cameras. He stopped at one feed, which showed a figure in a hooded cape making his way through the forest. “It could be a Huntsman who simply wandered too far off course,” he mused. “But it isn’t likely that they mean the students harm. Anyone looking to harm one of them would simply wait until they were back in civilisation- assassins don’t usually make a point of tangling with Grimm.”

Goodwitch frowned. “We can keep an eye on him at least. As it stands, we can’t go charging in- they may have accomplices we don’t know of. Or they may indeed have gotten lost. Regardless, I’ll defer to you.”

Ozpin tilted his coffee towards Goodwitch as a sign of recognition, and the two lapsed back into silence.

* * *

 

“Ever get the feeling you’re being watched?” Ghost popped up beside Noir as he was kneeling by a footprint in the ground. It reminded him of the prints left by the wolves Saladin kept at the Iron Temple, but the claws were much longer and sharper judging by the imprint they left on the ground.

“Yeah, this forest has my hackles raised. Any updates on the wandering signals?”

“They appear to have stopped. We’re about half a kilometre out. As well, I’ve found a few cameras watching us as we get closer. I couldn’t track where the feed went, but judging by the lack of armed response, they may just lead to a dormant facility.”

Noir’s head rose sharply as a howl emanated from the north. In a flash, Ace of Spades was in his right hand, his left preparing a throwing knife. “We’re not alone.”

“Would you like to take a guess as to how far away it is?” Noir sighed.

“Never a dull moment, eh?” With that, he took off, arms pumping as he sprinted forward.

* * *

 

Weiss was beginning to think her new partner was a bad luck charm. Between her perpetual clumsiness, her habit of causing Dust to explode in her immediate vicinity, and now the fact that two separate packs of Beowolves had found them and circled around them within a day. Ruby looked confident, as she usually did- she got caught up in the moment, expending whatever resources she had on whatever lay in front of her.

Weiss, meanwhile, was noting that they still had to find the relics they were sent after before they could even think of leaving the forest. If they burned too much Aura and Dust before reaching that point, there’d be nothing left in the tank, so to speak.

These thoughts went through Weiss’ mind in the span of about four seconds. As she turned to confer a strategy with Ruby, she was met face first with a scattering of rose petals as Rose slammed into one of the Beowolves feet-first. She jumped off the beast’s head, using Crescent Rose to gain additional momentum and height before changing the weapon to its scythe configuration. Below her, the shot from the rifle slammed into the head of the stunned Beowolf, its head impacting into the ground with a resounding thud. As Rose reached the apex of her jump, scythe now extended, a second Beowolf leapt over the decaying corpse of its ally, jaws snapping after the Huntress in training. Ruby began her descent, launching into a spin that saw her blade slide between the outstretched mouth of the Grimm, severing the mandible from the skull. She landed, prying the scythe loose and turning around swiftly to engage another Beowolf.

Weiss, in the meantime, drew her own rapier as she wheeled around to face another of the creatures. Myrtenaster’s blade darted out, catching the beast in one of its eyes as she leaped back. Stark white runes flittered behind her, enhancing her speed and easily enabling her to dodge a string of swipes from the wounded beast. Before the runes dissipated, she slid back across them like a figure skater, plunging her blade into the skull of the creature. Weiss threw herself to the side, checking quickly for any more Beowolves around her. But Ruby’s display, in a sharp contrast to Weiss’s subdued, almost silent manoeuvre to disable the beast, was loud and bombastic. At that moment, her scythe was fully extended and flew around her in a red blur, seeming to almost create a bubble of calm among the maelstrom of violence she found herself in. A large portion of the Grimm had converged in on her, snarling and nipping forward to try and catch her unawares. But Ruby’s scythe was always there to intercept the Grimm, catching the beast in a vital area or just pushing them back before it was already moving to cut into another Beowolf.

Weiss sprinted forward, jumping onto the back of one of the Beowolves. She plunged her blade into its skull before kicking off and flipping onto another that was charging forward, this strike cleanly cutting through the neck and severing the spine in two. She backflipped off the Beowolf, landing neatly as its momentum sent it crashing into another Grimm, which met its end at the barrel of Crescent Rose. Weiss looked up, and her eyes widened as she saw that behind Ruby, one of the Beowolves had waited for the red-haired girl to be occupied with another of its kin- with her scythe facing away, the beast lunged, jaws aiming for her neck. Ruby turned just fast enough to see it coming, and just fast enough to see its head explode as a distant sound of a gunshot was heard.

* * *

 

_Aiden Chan - "Sonata for Whitestone Castle” (Start at 0:30)_

Noir came barrelling out of the growth of the forest as he heard the familiar sounds of a high-powered rifle. Ahead of him, he found the source of the two signals Ghost had found- two young women, one dressed entirely in a black and red assortment, complete with a flowing red cape, wielding the rifle he had heard earlier. Which, as he watched, shifted into a long, blood-red scythe. The other young woman was almost a polar-opposite to the one in red- prim and proper, a sword over a scythe, dressed all in white- even her hair was stark white. Not that Noir could complain, given how odd hairstyles could get back home.

The girl in black could only be described as a small whirlwind of action, her scythe constantly flowing around her in one continuous motion that cut off the wolf-like creatures before they could get too close. The girl in white meanwhile used the attention that the scythe-wielder was attracting to flank the creatures and hit them from behind. Between the two of them, they were making short work of the wolves. And judging by how efficiently they were dispatching said beasts, he didn’t want to get in their way.

But then one of the wolves had been smart enough to hold off on its assault for a few seconds- long enough to wait for the girl in red to get her weapon stuck in the skull of one of its brethren before leaping out, jaws extended and aimed at the girls’ neck. The one in white saw it coming, her eyes widening for a short moment.

Noir had taken the shot before he even put effort into thinking of pulling the trigger. It wasn’t a particularly tricky shot- a moving target at over fifty meters away with a potential ally close enough to risk friendly fire sounded tricky, but Hunters prided themselves on their skill with a gun. Titans had their fists and raw, unadulterated power to back them up, while Warlocks were crafty and loved their special powers to assist them with acts as basic as jumping.

Hunters, meanwhile, lived for this- effectively alone on the frontier, all they had was their skills, so they were honed to perfection. And those skills saw the beast’s skull jerk to the side, the girl ducking under the body as the laws of physics carried it onwards into another one of its kin.

Everything… stopped… for a few seconds, the Guardian appraising the new enemy in front of him, the two teenagers looking at this new, mysterious combatant to come out of nowhere, and the feral beasts seeing new prey to hunt.

Eventually, the beasts moved first, six of them surging past the teenagers to go for the new target while the remaining three stayed behind to finish the first fight.

“I think you made them mad.” Ghost seemed to mutter. Noir smiled, completely casually, as his left hand palmed a small dagger. He threw it out, the blade spinning in the air as it embedded into the forehead of the nearest beast. The blade pulsed for a quick second before detonating, the forward half of the wolf becoming shrouded in flame. His right hand rose back up, his cannon barking out a challenge to the remaining creatures as they closed in. The first shot hit the wolf already on fire, causing it to splutter to the ground and roll before keeling over.

Behind the wolves, the two teenagers pressed the advantage against the remaining beasts, a series of quick strikes immobilising the creatures before they were dashing forward, assaulting the charging Grimm from behind. The one in red slammed her scythe down, the weapon changing to its rifle configuration before firing a shot that nearly tore one of the wolves in half. The one in white sprung forward, her rapier plunging into the depths of another beast. Rather than withdraw the blade, she arced it out the side, nearly flinging the wolf into the air with the force behind her movement.

Noir kept firing, aiming primarily for the skull, but also firing off a disabling shot into a kneecap now and again. Two more of the beasts fell to his cannon, the third leaping over one of its brethren that had suffered from a blown-out kneecap. It was compressing itself as much as it could to make itself a smaller target- No, wait. It was making itself ball-like to ram into him better.

The wolf and Noir both went down, his cannon slipping out of his grasp and falling onto the grass beside him. The beast climbed up on top of him, snarling in his face as its teeth tried to claw into his throat. His right hand latched onto the muzzle, keeping the creature back just enough to prevent it from reaching his throat, while his left hand scrambled along his belt, reaching for his sidearm.

In the distance, he could hear a cry of “Weiss, hurry!” punctuated by additional gunfire, the howls of the creatures and of footsteps dashing towards him. His hand reached the handle of the weapon, thumb clicking over the hammer. The mouth came closer, the bad angle of the grip he had on it granting the beast the advantage. Right before his grip gave, he levelled the barrel of the Last Word to the head of the creature, firing twice before the head stopped jerking, the claws slackening under his grasp. His helmet cushioned his ears from the bark of the weapon being fired so close to his face, while the visor polarized so he wouldn’t be blinded. Taking a second to breathe, he shrugged the body off him to the right. He slipped Last Word into its holster, thumbing the safety back on before grabbing Ace of Spades and doing the same. He felt along his armour, nodding quickly once satisfied that the claws had failed to pierced through. As his hands lowered, the two teenagers stopped in front of him.

* * *

 

Ruby and Weiss came to a stop in front of the armed Huntsman who saved Ruby’s neck- literally in this case. He was certainly dressed odd compared to other Huntsmen the two had seen. For one, he was wearing a full-face helmet alongside a hood, with no sign of ways for him to see beyond three orange lenses organised in a triangle around where the eyes would be, with the third positioned on the forehead. A ragged scarf hung over the mouth area, tied behind the helmet. His armour had much less of a patchwork quality to it, consisting of a honed steel breastplate and pauldrons over a tight black and white suit. His chest piece bore a logo of a white tree, bereft of leaves, while the pauldrons had wolves on them. The legs were decorated with what appeared to be bones from some beast, spines of which travelled up the left leg of the hunter. His ensemble was capped off with a flowing cape that travelled down to the back of his kneecaps (Which Ruby smirked a little at- at least this random stranger had a good fashion sense). 

“Thanks for the help,” Ruby said. The stranger looked at Weiss and Ruby, the orange lenses boring into their eyes.

“No problem. It’s what anyone would have done.” His voice was muffled slightly by the helmet, but it still carried a layer of warmth to it. He reached up to flip the hood of his cloak down, before pulling the helmet off. Pale blue eyes met Ruby’s silver eyes before she looked up at the slicked back, spiked hair. An overall young face (mid to late twenties was her current guess), heavily tanned, but marred by a few lines and darker skin under the eyes. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, eyes darting between Ruby and Weiss.

“Who are you?” Weiss asked. “And why are you out here, interfering with Beacon Academy business?”

“That’s… difficult to answer. The why I’m here part, at least. My name’s Noir. Noir…” he seemed to hesitate for a second before continuing, “Malphur. And may I ask your names?”

“I’m Weiss Schnee, of the Schnee family. You’ve heard of us, I hope? And that’s Ruby Rose.”

Before Noir could respond to the question, Ruby spoke as well. “We’re applying for Beacon Academy.” She balked at the confused expression on his face. Come on, you’ve got to have heard of Beacon! All the best Huntsmen and Huntresses train there before graduating!”

“Well…” Noir rubbed the back of his head again, ducking his gaze. “That’s a funny story-”

“Oh, for the love of- if you want something done right…” A voice seemed to emanate from Noir’s armour before a flash of light, like a shimmer of bright cubes, showed a small red drone with a white stripe cutting through its centre floating over Noir’s shoulder. Several rounded facets were centred around its central eye, and those facets separated from the main body to spin of their own volition before sealing back into place. Weiss jumped back, hand reaching for her sword, while Ruby stood in place, admiring the small device. Noir looked more irritated than anything.

“Hello! I’m a Ghost. Well, not your Ghost, it’s probably prettier than me.”

Ruby pointedly ignored the floating object and Noir putting his face in his hands, choosing instead to look behind her at Weiss before holding up a hand. “I don’t think they’re gonna hurt us. I mean, if they wanted to, why step in and fight the Grimm?”

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Noir, who seemed to be conversing with Ghost behind Ruby. Something about Noir having “called dibs” on getting to talk to people first in a potential “first contact scenario.”

Looking at Ruby, Weiss lowered the sword slightly.  “If you believe that, then I see no reason to engage in a pointless fight, especially while we’re burning daylight.” Ruby smiled at her fellow student, mouthing thanks. Turning around, she faced Noir again.

"... I just feel like you're a little embarrassed of me." Ghost said, almost seeming petulant. Noir folded his arms.

"Of course I'm not embarrassed of you!" A smirk crossed his face a second after. "... Little Light."

Ghost seemed to glare at his companion. "That's not funny and you know it."

Noticing that Ruby and Weiss were looking at him again, Noir coughed before focusing on them. “Look, I’ll surmise my problems as this: I’m cut off from my team and I have no way of knowing where they are. I don’t know where- or even when- I am myself. I think if nothing else, the fact that neither of you have likely seen anything like this,” he gestured to Ghost, “indicates that I’m not entirely lying when I say that I’m not from around here. And if I was in your boots, I wouldn’t trust me either. But I need your help, and I promise you that I’ll answer all of your questions when we’re someplace safer.”

Weiss began to open her mouth before Ruby interrupted. “Of course! We wouldn’t be great heroes if we left people alone in the forest. Come with us and we’ll get you to Beacon.”

She pointedly ignored the raised eyebrow Noir had and the sound of Weiss cringing, turning on her heel and walking away.

Behind her, Noir looked at Weiss, a small smirk crossing his lips. “She seems nice.”

“If by that you mean a pointless idealist who’s hopes haven’t been stamped down yet.” Weiss retorted.

Noir shrugged. “It’s good to have hope. Sometimes it’s all we have in the darkest of times. It’s good to meet someone who has such an idealistic view of heroes.” He slipped his helmet back on and flipped up his hood before following Ruby, Weiss beside him.

 


	3. Initiation of First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the Hunter meets more new people, encounters the local wildlife, and gets horribly lost.

Outskirts of the Emerald Forest:

“Our last pair has been formed sir,” Glynda announced as she walked up to Ozpin. “Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy…” She trailed off for a moment as, on the feed, Valkyrie booped Ren’s nose. “Still, she’s better off than Miss Nikos.” Ozpin _hummed_ in response. “I don’t care what the transcripts say, that Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” She turned to face Ozpin. “And our stowaway?”

“Currently with Miss Rose and Miss Schnee,” Ozpin replied. “He’s trailing behind currently, letting them figure out where to go. So, he’s at least not corrupting the result of the test.”

Glynda frowned. “The drone he showed those two… I just got a response from James. No thefts in any Atlas facilities recently, and they’d be the only ones who have that level of technology. So, that means…”

“He may be able to confirm _her_ story.”

“In that case… I’ll be interested to see what he should say when he arrives. We’ll keep an eye on him.” 

Ozpin responded with a non-committal reply, focused on his scroll.

* * *

 

Emerald Forest:

Noir trailed behind Ruby and Weiss, who had gotten into another argument that had started regarding which direction to travel, but had since descended into who was acting more childish. “Be honest with me,” he murmured to his Ghost. “Was I ever this bad with my Fireteam?”

“No,” Ghost replied in a chipper manner. “You were far worse.”

“I’m not perfect!” Weiss’s cry interrupted the two as Noir began to scoff at Ghosts statement. “… Not yet. But I’m still leagues better than you.” With that, Weiss turned on her heel and walked deeper into the forest, leaving Ruby behind.

“You don’t even know me.” She muttered, trailing behind. Noir awkwardly patted the girl on the shoulder as he moved past her.

An awkward silence descended as the unlikely trio moved into an area drenched in shadow. Noir ultimately chose to break the ice with what he assumed to be a friendly topic. “So,” he called ahead to the two teenagers. “Anyone else in this forest I should know about? You know what they say about strength in numbers.”

Ruby turned around. “There’s my sister Yang. She’s also here to become a Huntress! She’s big, and strong, and isn’t afraid of anything!”

“Huh,” Noir said. “Sounds pretty cool and collected.”

* * *

 

Elsewhere, a few moments prior:

“Hah! You guys couldn’t hit the broad side of a…” Yang’s boastful taunts slowed down to a miniscule whimper as a lock of her hair drifted past her face, hitting the ground. She closed her eyes. “You…”

The two Ursa in front of her let out confused sounds and looked at each other.

“You MONSTERS!” Her eyes flashed red as she loaded her gauntlets and charged, cutting a blazing swathe through the immediate vicinity of trees.

* * *

 

Ruby faltered for a second. “Yeah, sure! Let’s go with that.”

“Well, regardless, you make her sound pretty competent,” Noir noted. “What about you, Weiss? Anyone worth noting in this lovely environment?”

Weiss turned around sharply. “Only one of the reigning arena tournament champions from Mistral in Pyrrha Nikos. Surely you know who she is, at least?”

“Uh…” Noir stammered for a second.

“Unbelievable! Did you live under a rock or something? How can you not know these basic facts?!”

“Maybe he’s an alien from another world who just landed and wants to eat your brains!” Ruby called over her shoulder.

Noir barked out a laugh. “Sure… let’s go with that.” Weiss growled under her breath, before the trio continued ambling into the forest, the shadows underneath only growing darker and darker.

Ruby stopped, looking down and up in short measure. “Guys?”

“What now?” Weiss turned, a snappy retort likely already formed on her lips.

“Why’s all this shadow on the ground if we’re in a clearing?”

Noir looked down, squinting as some of the shadow seemed to move- which was when the shadows exploded upwards, tossing the three onto their feet. Noir shook his head, snapping back into focus as the shadows took form, appendages snapping out into what looked like a giant bird of prey extending its wings. Each of the feathers in its massive wingspan glinted in the light, contrasting against the dull black of the beast itself. The only other colour was the stark white of Weiss as she, Noir and Ruby were tangled in some of the feathers of the beast. Screeching out, the giant bird took off, shaking the trio around in this impromptu bondage as it took to the skies, each person hanging on desperately as they gained altitude.

“We need to let go!” Weiss called out.

“No! Stick it out, we can use this to find the temple!” Ruby shot back.

“Wait, what?” Weiss and Noir said at the same time.

“It’ll be fine! Look, we’re already really high up!”

Indeed, they were quite high up by this point. Falling without something softer than a tree to break the landing would be… painful, as Noir could confirm. Steeling himself, he grabbed onto the feathers of the bird, pulling himself against the beast to give him a better grip.

“Somehow,” Noir managed to grit out to Ghost. “This is your fault.”

* * *

 

On another cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest, a man in a cloak watched as the Nevermore took off, the screams of two teenagers trailing behind it. He watched through the scope of his rifle as the beast flew west. He was ready to pack up and leave when he saw something else out of the corner of his eye. A man in a hardsuit with a hood, wearing a cape bearing an odd symbol on the back.

“Huh,” he said dispassionately. “Unfortunate.”

* * *

 

“Well why don’t we just jump?!”

Noir really was wondering how teenagers managed to argue so much over… everything. He couldn’t really complain, given how often he himself held petty grudges and waited months before enacting revenge, but this was starting to get tedious.

“What are you, insane?” Weiss shot back, only to meet silence. Noir watched as a red blur leapt clear of the side, entering freefall over a clearing with a stone ruin in the middle.

“Think that answers that.” He said cheerfully. “Think I’ll join her. Coming?”

“Oh, that insufferable little brat-” Weiss began, before Noir rolled off the side. Arms outstretched, he took a few seconds to enjoy the feeling of falling. Unlike last time, he hadn’t just been flung through time and space, which left him… occupied. This time though, he was ready for the feeling of falling. Now all he had to do was remember the trick about falling.

Try not to.

Flowing into a standing position, Noir let the Light flow through his armour, prepping himself. When he was around thirty feet from the ground, he sent a mental command to Ghost, discharging some of the Light stored in his boots. The effect, similar to a jetpack, caused the Guardian to ascend for a few scant seconds before continuing his downward spiral. Below him, he heard a cry of “Heads up!” as Ruby was hit by a giant… thing, sending them crashing into a tree. At ten feet above the ground, he activated the jump-jets in his boots, slowing him down enough that he landed mostly on his feet.

To his right, Ruby’s head lolled as she recovered from the impact, while to his left were two other young women- one wearing all black with a bow on her head who had just finished asking the other if her sister had just fallen from the sky, the other a busty blonde with gauntlets and a bomber jacket. “Hi.” He said awkwardly. “I’m Noir. Before you fillet me, I’m with Ruby and… aw crap.” Noir looked back up at the sky, watching the giant bird begin to fly away with Weiss in tow.

“I’m Yang. Ruby’s older, more mature sister.” The blonde responded. Noir resolved to treat Yang’s statements the way he would treat the words of a pathological liar.

The black-haired girl gave him a nod. “Blake. What’re you doing out here and why did you just fall off a Nevermore?”

Noir shrugged. “It’s a long story…” Said story was circumvented by the sound of trees falling behind Noir. He turned, cannon flying to his hand and aiming at a giant bear that lumbered out.

“… You gotta be kiddin’ me.” He muttered. “Dogs I could handle. Birds? I’ll live. Bears? The hell?” Said giant bear stumbled as a string of pink explosions rippled across its back, accompanied by the sound of someone going “Yee-ha!” The beast fell, and from its back popped out another teenaged girl. Orange hair, white shirt over a pink miniskirt… giant grenade launcher on the back.

“Aww, I think I broke it.” She pouted, examining the beast. Behind her, a young man in green ran up, panting as he rested his hands on his knees.

“Nora…” he gulped for air. “Please. Don’t ever do that again.” He looked up to see this Nora absent, a pink blur flying past Noir as he slid his pistol back into its holster. She stopped at one of the artefacts on the table (Which looked suspiciously like chess pieces), before starting to sing and dance with one. He sighed. “This place is frickin’ weird.” He muttered.

“The resurrected corpse imbued with alien energy by the servants of a dead or dying god said.” Ghost replied drily, materialising in front of him (Noir pointedly ignored the cries of “What the hell is that?” from Yang).

Noir hesitated. “Point,” he reluctantly conceded.

“Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?” Blake quietly asked Yang, who was starting to look agitated. Noir could sympathise, and was about to say as such when a giant scorpion came bursting out of the trees to the south, chasing after a redhead in armour. Ruby during this time jumped down from the tree she was sitting on.

“Ruby?” “Yang!-” “NORA!”

The giant scorpion came ever closer, the girl dodging each of its blows with an impressive amount of agility. “Did she just run all the way here with a Deathstalker running after her?” Blake asked quietly.

It was at this point that Yang caught fire and began venting. Again, Noir could sympathise- dangers of the trade. “Could everyone just calm down for two seconds without something crazy happening again?!”

Nora’s accomplice, who had been identified as ‘Ren’ by the perky redhead during Noir’s conversation with Ghost, struggled up to the collection of teenagers and pyromaniacs, panting. Ruby nervously patted Yang’s shoulder, pointing up.

“Oh right, Weiss.” Noir noted casually, watching the teenager hang off one of the… what did Blake call it again, a Nevermore? Either way, it flowed off the tongue better than ‘giant black bird of death.’

“I said jump!” Ruby pouted.

“She’s gonna fall.” Blake noted dispassionately.

“She’ll be fine!”

“She’s falling.” Ren said, deadpan. As Weiss fell, a figure caught her from the sky… and proceeded to fall with her, the two slamming into the ground. Noir winced. In the background, the Deathstalker continued to chase after the redhead (Who, through process of elimination, Noir figured was likely Pyrrha Nikos), before hitting her with one of its pincers, sending her flying in front of the menagerie.

“Great, the gang’s all here!” Yang said brightly. “Now we can all die together!”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “Not if I can help it!” Before she could go flying off her scythe, Noir grabbed the hood of her cape with his left hand- the benefits of working with surly Hunters, most of them forgot to stop you from going for the cape.

Ruby squirmed in his grasp. “What’re you doing?” With his right hand, Noir pointed at the Nevermore coming back for another pass, right over where Ruby would have been. Ruby stopped. “Oh.”

Noir shrugged. “Happens to the best of us. But we should go before that thing gets closer-” As he said this, the Nevermore hovered in the air and began launching feathers at the group- which was just _bullshit_ , no way Noir could have known about that. Most of the team managed to duck and roll out of the way as the feathers- the _razor-sharp_ ones- embedded themselves in the ground. The blunt edge of one slammed into Noir, sending him flying back, while another impaled itself onto Ruby’s cape, pinning her to the ground.

The Guardian shook his head, trying to clear his mind, as he saw the Deathstalker skittering closer and closer towards Ruby. Yang sprinted towards the teenager, who was trying to free her cape from under the feather. She wouldn’t make it in time. Noir began running as well, a sloppy run gradually becoming a full-bore sprint, Light aiding his speed. He wouldn’t make it either. Ruby looked away from the giant scorpion, covering her head as its stinger plunged down. Yang screamed.

Noir’s hand went for his belt, for the last resort. He began to pour Light into the Last Word when a blur of white sped by him and Yang. The area between Ruby and the Deathstalker became a flash of white, ice rapidly solidifying between the girl and the animal. The stinger slowed, its momentum cut off. He exhaled, Light retracting back into him.

Weiss shook her head. “You are so childish.” She continued to somehow form ice from her rapier, sealing the beast further in. Ruby looked up. “Weiss?” she whispered.

“And dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don’t get me started on that atrocity you call a fighting style. But…” She lifted herself up, looking at Ruby. “I know I can be overbearing and a little… difficult, and I can be mildly judgemental in my worst moments. But if we’re going to work together, we need to be able to tolerate each other. So, if you stop trying to show off so much, I’ll be a little… nicer.”

“I’m not trying to show off… I just want to show that I can do this.”

Weiss gave her a smile. “You’re fine,” she assured the younger girl, walking away. Yang stopped her after a few steps. “Thank you,” she whispered, pulling Weiss into a hug. Weiss looked awkward for a few seconds, but managed to pat Yang on the back and make it look genuine. Everyone present chose to pointedly ignore any tears Yang had before she wiped them off.

“Guys?” The blond guy who had acted as a crash pad pointed up. “That thing’s circling back! What’re we gonna do?”

“No sense wasting time,” Weiss said as she walked up. “The objective is right in front of us.” Noir began to nod, until, wait a minute-

“Anyone else see chess pieces?” He blurted out. Everyone looked at him, then back to the “relics,” four of which were unaccounted for. “Looks like someone else made it here first. Shame, could’ve used the help.

* * *

 

Ozpin and Glynda watched as four male teenagers stumbled out of the forest. “Hey, we did it!” One of them with an obscenely green mohawk cried out, resulting in whooping and hollering.

“Kind of a shame though,” the largest of them muttered. The others turned to face him. “I mean, we just met our partners, found the relics and came back. Shame we didn’t get to fight any Grimm though. That would’ve been fun.”

“Shut up Cardin,” the other three boys said at the same time.

Glynda sighed. “I’ll get them back to Beacon.”

* * *

 

“Look, there’s no point fighting these things,” Ruby noted, changing the subject. “That’s not the mission.”

“Run and live?” The blond smiled. “That’s an idea I can get behind.”

Eventually, the students had grabbed a chess piece, and not a moment too soon as the Deathstalker broke free from the ice, scampering after them. The students and Guardian took off running, Yang stopping to admire Ruby striking a pose on a convenient rock for a second before catching up to Noir. Ahead, the group passed by a collection of stone structures that resembled rooftops or audience stands, the trees starting to become more sporadic and scattered. The pillars led out to a stone circle on a cliff-edge that overlooked a vast, bottomless drop. A stone bridge connected the cliff-edge to a temple made of similar stone.

Soon, all nine of the team were behind pillars, scanning the skies for the Nevermore. Ruby loaded up her rifle while Pyrrha’s sword configured itself into a rifle, and Noir summoned forth Time and Patience.

Opposite them, the Nevermore landed on the temple’s tower with a resounding thud. It reared its head, a shriek coming out of its maw.

“Well that’s great,” Yang noted drily. Behind them, an explosion of noise pronounced the arrival of the Deathstalker.

“Aw man, run!” Someone said, lost in the wave of noise, as everyone pushed forward, Noir, Ruby, Ren and Pyrrha laying down fire as they fell back while Nora whipped out a grenade launcher. Sliding up to one of the pillars as he reloaded, Noir looked up at the stands on top of the pillars, noting their height. He moved back a few steps and leapt up, pouring out Light to boost his height. At the apex of the jump, he was able to reach the edge of the structure, pulling himself up. Aiming at the Deathstalker, Noir began to pump fire into the beast, his shots glancing off the armour. Frowning, Noir cycled back the bolt, keeping watch out the corner of his eye as the others slowly continued to fall back- Ren and Blake laying into the giant scorpion with swords while Weiss used her glyphs to pull Nora out. The Deathstalker charged again, its side glancing off one of the support columns as it made for the bridge.

“We’re cut off.” Ghost noted. “… But it seems like we have more company closing in.” Noir swore quietly at this, watching as seven Beowolves slinked out of the treeline and began charging in the wake of the Deathstalker. If they got on the bridge, it’d likely tip the balance in the fight- if nothing else, killing them would distract the rest of the group long enough for the Deathstalker to close in and deliver a fatal blow, or for the Nevermore to do an uninterrupted divebomb. Noir looked over at Blake and Ren, who had also noticed the Beowolves.

_Jed Kurzel- First Regression (Assassin’s Creed Film OST)_

 “Keep going, I’ll buy you time!” He prepped one of his grenades, priming the mechanism. After a slight beep, during which he timed the Beowolves movements, he tossed the charge, the explosive releasing a glowing red light. As the leading Beowulf ran into the light, an explosion sounded, catching the beast in its full and leaving bits and pieces to fall to the ground. Noir fired again, dropping a second Beowulf.

“But-” Whatever Blake said was cut off as she was flung back by the Deathstalker. Noir fixed Ren a look as he cycled back the bolt again. Ren nodded, pulling back as he laid fire into the Deathstalker.

As Noir fired again, clipping the leg of another of the Beowolves, the remaining four took refuge under the structure he was using. Reaching for another grenade, he primed it and tossed it down, ricocheting it off a pillar into the crowd. The grenade split apart, small micro-drones hovering upwards before flying into the Beowolves, ripping into whatever they could reach before tearing out the other side. Swapping out for the Last Word, Noir vaulted the structure, turning in mid-air to fire rapidly into the Beowolves. Between the Seeker Grenade and his fanning the hammer, the remaining Beowolves fell under the barrage of fire. Rolling with the impact, Noir looked right, seeing the Nevermore flying through where the bridge had stood a few moments ago, cutting Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Nora and… the other guy… on the far side while Pyrrha, Ren and Blake were left with the Deathstalker. Noir swiftly reloaded the Last Word, ready to charge the Deathstalker, when he heard a growling behind him.

Turning, Noir saw another Beowolf lumber out of the trees on its hind legs- far larger than the others, with spikes of bone sticking out. Noir gulped.

“This is gonna hurt,” he muttered to himself as the large Beowolf roared a challenge at him before charging. He really hoped the others were having it easier.

* * *

 

“Man, we gotta get over there, they need help!” Jaune watched as Ren, Pyrrha and Blake squared off against the Deathstalker. Even as he looked on, Blake was swept back by the Deathstalker, Ren charging forward.

Nora ran up beside him. “Let’s do this!”

Jaune chuckled nervously. “Yeah, but uh…” he looked down at the shorn bridge as chunks of rock fell off. “I can’t make that jump.” Nora turned, fixing him with a particularly malicious grin, before whacking him with her grenade launcher. Jaune was sent flying back as the launcher configured itself into a giant warhammer, before Nora took a running leap off the bridge. Jaune’s eyes widened as she turned in mid-air, prepping the hammer.

“No, no, wait-” he got out before the warhammer slammed into the bridge with an explosion of sound and fire and screaming, Jaune going sailing through the air with Nora under him, propped up on her hammer. The two reached the bridge, Nora slamming her hammer down with all her might on the Deathstalker’s hide.

* * *

 

Eh, he was sure they were fine. He had more pressing concerns to deal with as the Beowolf slammed into him again, sending him flying past several trees. Noir groaned, narrowing his eyes at the beast as it charged in again, leaving marks on the ground that looked very like the ones he found earlier. Rolling past the claws, Noir drew another throwing knife with his left hand, right staunchly staying attached to Last Word. The blade slammed into the hide of the Beowolf, the fire crossing fur that had already been buffeted and scratched by bullets, knives and fire. Noir fired thrice into its flank, drawing blood as the rounds slammed into the weakened hide. He backtracked, loading the gun afresh with new ammo while putting distance between himself and the Beowolf. Again, the beast snarled at him before charging, Noir ducking under the outstretched claw and firing another round into the underbelly. It howled at that, falling into a roll and slamming against a tree, which Noir used to empty the rest of his gun into its legs. As he slid another canister of rounds in, the Beowolf slowly got back up, moving into another charge.

Its left leg was dragging, but it was still an incredibly fast beast, as it showed through slamming its claw into the ground, enabling a quick turn before launching another charge. Noir swore quietly as it rammed him head first, sending the Hunter flying back through the trees he had just passed. He hit the ground hard, breath escaping from his lungs as he wheezed from the impact, and what little air was left was knocked out by the Beowolf landing on his stomach, roaring in his face. Below the beast, Last Word flashed away, replaced by a longer weapon. Black, with the occasional orange glow in several ports and aimed with an intricate sight, Noir pumped Invective, aiming it point blank at the roaring maw.

“Why-won’t-you-die?” Each word was punctuated with a resounding boom from the shotgun, Noir barely getting each word out before the next flaming blast escaped the fully automatic barrel. Now bellowing in pain, the Beowolf reared back, letting Noir roll from under his grasp, sliding new shells into Invective before it disappeared and the Last Word rematerialized in his off hand.

“You know what,” he said, breath coming out raggedly. “You get the special toy.” With that, he threw up his hand, letting the Light he had built up pour out of him in a golden aura, his wounds seeming to heal of their own volition. His gun seemed to catch fire, flames dripping off it. Aiming with one hand, Noir fired, a stream of golden energy streaking after the shot as it slammed into the Beowolf. This time, it was the one to go flying through the forest, slamming through a stone structure and falling limp on the other side. Noir proceeded to nonchalantly stroll towards the beast (While ignoring the flare of pain in his ribs every time he put pressure on his right foot), twirling the cannon casually on his finger.

After landing on the ground following the Deathstalker’s death, Pyrrha helped Jaune up while Nora picked up Ren in a bridal carry, humming along to a tune in her head. Jaune stared in wide-eyed shock as the Deathstalker’s corpse fell off the side of the bridge, tumbling into the abyss below.

“I can’t believe we killed that thing,” he muttered, eyes glazing in exhaustion. Behind them, Nora had already begun talking Ren’s ear off, when the group were interrupted by an Alpha Beowolf slamming through a stone wall, struggling to crawl away on its scorched legs. The Huntsman that Ruby and Weiss had encountered strolled out through the hole it left behind, whistling a toneless tune as he twirled a revolver dripping in fire on his hand. The group looked on as the Huntsman made his way towards them (Pyrrha subconsciously noting that his right leg wasn’t as responsive), not breaking stride as the gun snapped into place on his hand, firing a round into the skull of the Alpha Beowolf. A jet of light streaked out of the weapon, vaporizing a chunk of the top half of the creature. He slowly trekked over to the group, nodding to Ren.

“Got rid of the wolves. They brought a friend, who I think broke something in my leg. I’m gonna fall over now.” With that, he unceremoniously slumped over, Jaune darting out to grab him. “Where’re the others?” the Huntsman asked, keeping weight on his left side.

Jaune hesitated. “On the other side of the canyon. But I think they’ve got it under control.”

* * *

 

“I! HOPE! YOU’RE! HUNGRY!” Yang bellowed, emptying Ember Celica into the Nevermore’s mouth as she fired into it with each syllable. Below, Blake, Ruby and Weiss darted around the place, getting ready. Yang, noticing the incoming mountain out the corner of her eye, leaped out, doing a three-point-landing as the Nevermore slammed into the mountain, plunging to the ground. A web of ice overran the bottom half of the tail of the bird, locking it into place. Right before its wingspan could stretch out, letting it unleash more feathers, a stream of golden energy slammed into the wing, lighting a chunk of the appendage on fire.

* * *

 

Noir grimaced as he aimed the Golden Gun over Pyrrha’s shoulder, the gun fading back to its usual colours as the last shot was discharged.

“You hit its wing from the other side of the canyon? How’d you do that?” Jaune’s gaze darted between the Nevermore with a burning stump of a wing and the sharpshooter on his shoulder.

Noir shrugged. “Was aimin’ for its head,” he mumbled, head slumping down into his chest.

Pyrrha was immediately at Jaune’s side, checking the Hunter over. “His Aura must have taken a beating for that Alpha to be as much of a problem as it was,” she noted. Noir himself noted that he’d need to ask about that Aura stuff. She then noted that no one was listening to her, as everyone was entranced watching Ruby run up the side of a mountain, dragging the Nevermore behind her until she reached the top of the mountain, taking its head off with the ballistic part of her rifle. She landed, striking an impressive pose on the cliff as the Nevermore body tumbled down after her. “Wow,” Jaune mumbled.

Noir chuckled. “Giant death animals, teenagers with transforming guns, and stunts like that?” His chuckling became full grown laughter. “I _love_ this place.”   

* * *

 

Eventually, through Weiss’s glyphs and extensive amounts of jumping, all eight of the teenagers and Noir (Who insisted that his leg would be fine so long as he just kept off it for a few minutes) made their way back towards the cliff where they had been ejected a few hours prior. Soon, Noir was back on his own two feet, even if he winced a little when he put too much pressure too fast on his leg. While Ruby occupied everyone’s attention by telling the story of how she planned and subsequently killed the Nevermore, Noir slipped by her to the front of the group with Pyrrha.

“I didn’t catch your name,” he said quietly to the blond with the shield.

“Uh- oh! Arc, Jaune Arc.”

Noir nodded. “Fancy shield. Bit… low tech compared to some of the other stuff here, but less chance of it breaking down in the field. Smart.”

Jaune blushed, muttering something about how that was the intention behind his weapons, no doubt. In the meantime, Ghost slipped in to Noir’s right.

“We need to talk,” Ghost said with little preamble. “Not here, just… when we’re alone.” Noir nodded again.

“Think I know what you wanna talk about. But yeah, once we get settled in, we’ll talk.” Ghost bobbed in an approximation of a nod before vanishing.

Within another hour or so, the trees gave way to reveal a clearing, within which was a large dropship. Standing at the entry ramp was an older man, wearing a dark suit with green highlights and silver hair. Slowly, the eight trainees and their plus one stepped out, Noir keeping his hands out in the open.

The older man smiled. “Well done you eight, you succeeded in gaining the relics and overcame all obstacles in your path with minimal effort. Head on to the Bullhead, I will be with you shortly.” He inclined his head to Noir as the students passed him and moved onto the dropship. “I believe I have you to thank for ensuring their safety at times.”

“It’s what anyone would have done,” Noir replied, shrugging. “Besides, these two-” he gestured to Ruby and Weiss, “helped me out in my time of need. Least I could do was return the favour.”

“How… altruistic of you. But surely you have other motives?”

“Well…” Noir struggled to find the words. “I’m lost, far away from home. I promised Ruby and Weiss that I’d tell them my story, and I hate repeating myself. So, if you’d like, I’ll tell you everything on the way back to your base.”

The silver-haired man smiled. “An acceptable proposal. Once you get to Beacon, we can figure out a mutually beneficial course of action. You may call me Ozpin, I am the principal of Beacon Academy.”

“Noir Malphur. And this…” he gestured and Ghost materialised, “is my Ghost. He’s… my friend.”

Ozpin tilted his head. “I get the feeling your story will take the time to explain.”

Noir barked out a laugh as he passed Ozpin and sat in the Bullhead with Ghost floating overhead, looking at the principal as he took a seat. He sighed and took off his helmet. “So… my story begins over five hundred years ago, it all began with an entity we call The Traveller…”

* * *

 

Kingdom of Vale, Beacon Academy- 17:22 PM

“And… that’s pretty much it. Or at least everything I’m willing to explain here and now. If you don’t believe me, I understand. Hell, I think I’m a little crazy. But that’s what I remember.”

Noir expected more… resistance to the whole “alternate universe” bombshell he just dropped on them. But between this world being more than a little bullshit and Ghost providing a lot of evidence by virtue of existing and showing footage of the Traveller and the Collapse, things went… smoothly. He hadn’t been thrown out of the Bullhead at least.

He had omitted some segments- like hell was he going to tell teenagers about the forces of the Darkness, he had enough difficulty sleeping without that on his conscience.

Ozpin seemed to nod to himself as the landing door opened. “Students, please prepare yourselves for the team selection process. Mr. Malphur, if you could follow me please?”

Ozpin unceremoniously took off, leaving Noir to awkwardly wave goodbye to the rest of the students. “Told you it was a long story,” said apologetically.

“That… is… awesome!” Nora exploded. “You have a spaceship? Did you meet aliens? Did you break their legs?” Ren tried to pull her off the Hunter.

“Um… in order, yes, but I lost it and I can’t find it, yes, but not many of them were nice, and no, I prefer guns.” Nora pouted, but resumed beaming in a split-second, allowing Ren to drag her off to get ready for their initiation ceremony. Jaune and Pyrrha followed soon after.

Weiss fixed Noir with a look as she undid her straps. “Allow me to be the one person not taking you at face value. I won’t deny the litany of evidence you’ve provided, but… it’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

Noir shrugged. “Thanks, and here I was thinking this was a bit too easy. And yeah, I’ve lived this crap and it’s a bit much at times, so… no offense taken.”

Weiss nodded. “Well, if you’re here for now, may as well make yourself comfortable. Enjoy your time in Beacon.” She took off at his point, Blake fixing Noir a stare as she and Yang followed.

Ruby started to go after her sister (Noir had gotten the basic information on the students after he finished his story), but stopped to fix Noir a look. “It’s… something. Not sure what’s true or not yet, but I think you’re a good person regardless.”

“Huh. Well… thanks, kid. Hope the initiation goes well.” The two left the bullhead, the dropship taking off as they left. Noir looked around for a second, taking in the multitude of towers that dotted the landscape, the vast city in the distance and the students who passed by without paying any heed.

“Um, Ruby?”

“Yeah?”

“Where the hell did Ozpin go?”

* * *

 

Ozpin’s Office, 18:52 PM:

By the time Noir found and entered Ozpin’s office, the man had evidently already left. A small note left on the desk simply read “At initiation, will be back by 7.” Noir strode past the desk, grimacing at the chair when he got a look at it from behind. Ghost materialised beside him as he looked out at the horizon, the sun bouncing off the skyline of Vale. In the distance, dark clouds were building on the horizon- a storm was coming tonight.

“How many cameras are watching us?” Noir asked conversationally.

“Are we including bugs and microphones? Because if we are, I think there’s one for each individual part of those cog wheels.”

Noir snorted. “I’ll give him this, he’s not dumb enough to leave me unsupervised. The feed likely goes to those tablets they all carry around.”

“Lucky for you, I can put a loop in the feed, giving us some privacy.” Ghost seemed to wilt for a second. “Now, about that conversation.”

Noir sighed. “Think I know where this is going.”

“Noir… we’re not getting home. I’ve been doing some sleuthing regarding the technology levels here. The chances of replicating that wormhole, getting a working ship, finding the right co-ordinates for our galaxy, trying to not get torn apart in the process, the power consumption required… each individual aspect is impossible at this current time. Put together? You’d be faster walking back there. The only thing I can say for certain is that Umbra and Sanguine are here in this universe, the co-ordinates didn’t change when any of you entered. But if they’re here, or anywhere close to here? That’s beyond us. I’m sorry Noir… but we likely won’t see the Tower again.”

Noir’s head slumped against the window as Ghost talked, his ragged breath fogging up the glass. Absentmindedly, he wiped it clean with his cape. “Tell me something I don’t know,” he replied bitterly.

“Blake Belladonna has cat DNA in her,” Ghost replied nonchalantly.

Noir slowly turned, flatly staring at Ghost. “Wait, _what_.”

“Oh yeah, I was doing passive scans around the point where you were talking about the Collapse out of boredom. Seems from some extracurricular research I did when you were lost and looking for the giant tower _that I told you was where his office would be_ that she’s what’s called a Faunus. They tend to get a bad rep around here after a little civil war. Might not wanna say anything to her face though- she seems the type to kidney-shank first, ask questions later.”

Noir gritted his teeth. “We need to have a conversation regarding you scanning people without their permission.” He sighed again, rubbing his face slowly. “But I get it. We’re not getting home, and chances are I’ll never see the others again. So, the way I see it, we can either sit around and be mopey… or we can get off our butts and help this place. They’ve got monsters, a city to protect, people with powers… It’ll be like we never left, except everyone’s a bit younger and more willing to abuse puppy eyes.”

“Truly, your greatest challenge. This will make SIVA look like a walk in the part.”

Noir frowned. “Don’t joke about that… _thing_.” He still had nightmares. Then again, he always had nightmares- the amount of nights he slept well could be counted on a frostbitten hand. But remembering SIVA was like poking an open wound, where nothing good could come of it.

The door opened behind the two, signifying Ozpin’s arrival. He stepped up beside Noir with his seemingly ever-present thermos of coffee, taking in the sunset view, before sighing.

“I never get used to how this place looks at sunset.” He put a hand up against the glass. “It’s one of the reasons I teach here- so that there are Huntsmen ready to fight to ensure these sunsets are appreciated.”

Noir let out a non-committed sound in response. “Feel like you didn’t bring me here to talk about sunsets, beautiful as they are.”

Ozpin nodded, sitting at his chair. Noir grimaced again, moving specifically in front of the principal so he didn’t have to look at that thing from behind. Ozpin caught his expression and sighed.

“I know, the engineer in charge of the chair got my specifications wrong. I wanted it to fit the clock tower motif, but he developed the sense of humour expected of a twelve year old.”

The two men cleared their throats awkwardly before Ozpin continued. “Your friend Miss Rose has been elected team leader, by the way. Team RWBY.”

“Oh?” Noir tilted his head. “I’ll send my congratulations when I see her next.”

“If you care for the offer I’m about to make, that may be soon.”

Noir stayed silent, eyebrow raised.

“Regardless of whether your story is true or not, though your floating companion does make it lean towards having a grain of truth, you do have a degree of skill that cannot be ignored. Not many can take out an Alpha Beowolf and its pack without becoming wounded in the process, especially one without their Aura enabled. Such tenacity would be wasted with you leaving these walls and becoming just another gun for hire prowling around out there. And finally, the humanitarian in me would be resolutely against letting you leave Beacon without at least a basic understanding of Remnant’s history and culture.”

Noir stewed in silence for a few moments. “… Are you offering me a job?”

“I’m offering you a place to learn about and acclimatize to our world while assisting you in finding your team mates…” Ozpin’s mouth quirked in a smile, “that may in time lead to offering you a salary. I know Mrs. Goodwitch could always use more combat instructors.”  

Ghost bobbed in front of him. “You’re not likely to get many better offers,” it noted.

Noir frowned. “Whose side are you on?”

“The side promising a warm bed, steady meals and a paycheck.”

“… Point.” Moving Ghost out of the way, Noir fixed Ozpin with a look. “So what then, do I need to do an interview?”

“Let’s consider your time in the forest an… application process,” the principal replied.

“So then the drones and cameras Ghost found in the forest… your handiwork?”

Ozpin frowned. “Make no mistake, I may consign those students into the forest with little preparation time, but we were ready to move in and assist if the situation became dire. We simply told them otherwise so they would not know they had a safety net in place. You yourself told the students and I that you are what is called a Guardian. You can continue to act as such here, and ensure that they’ll be as safe as possible.”

Mulling over it for a few seconds, before eventually sighing, Noir nodded. “What am I going to be expected to do?”

“As your companion mentioned, we’ll provide you with lodgings and a salary. You’ll be expected right now to simply observe some of the classes, namely the combat classes. You may be asked to fight from time to time, but we have safety measures to prevent the students risking fatalities. You’ll have a fair amount of time to yourself, where you’ll be free to go on any assignments that interest you.”

“You make it sound too good to be true. I’m just waiting for the other penny to drop.”

“If you doubt my intentions, you can walk away freely at any time and I will not pursue you.”

“Might hold you to that,” he muttered, before standing up. “but right now I can’t make a decision like this lightly, and I’ve had… a long day. Let me sleep on it and I’ll get back to you tomorrow, though I feel like I’m gonna say yes.”

“An acceptable proposal. We will be happy to accept you to our ranks. We keep some quarters free in the event of unexpected new staff.” Ozpin held up his scroll. “I’ll send a map to your Ghost. It can guide you there.”

Noir nodded. “In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow to finalise the details.” Noir stepped up to the elevator, entering it. The doors closed behind him before the lift began to descend.

Ozpin activated his terminal, tracking the elevator as it went down to the ground floor before Noir got out, his Ghost leading him through the main doors and towards the living quarters. Closing the terminal, Ozpin limped to the elevator, calling it up. Stepping inside, he entered a random string of numbers before the doors closed behind him and he began to descend. Soon, he passed by the lobby, going deeper and deeper underground until the elevator stopped.

Stepping out, Ozpin entered a large chamber, dimly lit with wall-mounted green torches. Ozpin strode forward, hesitating slightly as he passed two large capsules parallel to each other. Their purpose, hopefully, would never be needed. Striding by the capsules, Ozpin walked up to another door, a pressure plate measuring his height and weight before allowing a small keypad to open from a panel in the wall. Entering another sequence of numbers, the door opened and Ozpin entered, knocking briefly on the wall with his cane.

The door opened into a room much more well-lit, almost resembling the bedroom students had upstairs in Beacon. On one of the beds sat a young woman, reading a book. Her dark hair fell around her brown eyes, pouring over the words on the pages attentively. A shoulder-plate sat on the desk beside her, while a pair of leather boots sat by the bed.

Ozpin coughed politely, rapping his cane on the doorframe. The woman looked up. “Oz?”

“Amber. There’s been… a complication.”

Amber snorted, moving from her lying position to sitting on the edge of the bed, feet sliding effortlessly into the leather boots. “Oh, of course there was,” she muttered, eyes flashing gold for a second. “we’re not lucky enough to catch a break, are we?”

“Not when I last checked. Where is she?”

Amber shrugged. “She should be back soon, just went to get some food for her and me. This the kind of complication that lets me get back out in the field?”

“Not just yet, I’m just giving you two the heads up. I met someone out in the Emerald Forest during the student induction. Someone who can confirm our mutual friend’s story.”

Amber fixed Ozpin with a look, before nodding. “Don’t worry, Wizard. I’ll tell her to drop by when she gets back. She’ll be eager to learn about this too.”


	4. Conversations with young people

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the Hunter visits a chopshop, talks sword length, gets kicked out of a library and briefly triggers a traumatic memory.

Kingdom of Vale, Automotive Extraordinaire, 12:14 PM:

Yang was leaning against her beloved Bumblebee, which had just finished getting its monthly check-up. Noir had happened to be in the area looking for a mechanic or workshop so he could work on patching up his Sparrow after an incident he’d refused to elaborate on beyond it being “a necessary sacrifice.” Thus, Yang had decided to assist him in his endeavour, while also figuring out a bit more about the new addition at Beacon.

Yang was still in her uniform, seemingly uncaring at the prospect of it getting messed up in the cavernous workshop the two found themselves in. Noir himself had left behind the hardsuit in favour of a casual pair of jeans and a loose white shirt. Wrenches, screwdrivers and other assortments of tools hung the two as Noir walked around his floating bike. At least, that’s what he told Yang it could do. Right now though, it was just a long, sleek, black and silver piece of modern art with a seat and engine in the back, silver wings decorating the appendages sticking out the front. Yang was starting to understand Weiss’s reluctance to believe him in his story.

“Problem’s in the front left stabiliser,” he muttered to himself. “I might be able to jumpstart it to get it floating.” He looked over to Yang, gesturing to one of the wrenches beside her. “You mind?”

She shrugged, picking up the socket wrench and tossing it towards him. His hand darted out like a snake, catching it out of thin air without turning his head. He got down onto a slider and slid under the front of the vehicle, popping open a panel underneath and inserting the wrench.

Yang moved closer out of curiosity, running a hand along the flank of the bike. “So, no joke. Flying bikes?”

“Yep. Hand on my heart, if you seriously wanna call a seat strapped to an engine with spit and prayers a bike.”

She grinned. “That’s pretty awesome. How fast can she go?”

He hesitated for a second. “Metric or imperial?”

“Metric, obviously. We look like savages?”

He laughed for a second. “Just making sure. So then, metric…” He became silent for a second, busy in work and calculations. “Four-seventy-five, but I’ve never found a place big enough to go past three eighty-five without risking a crash. How fast can yours go?”

She whistled lowly. “Three sixty-five is what I was told. But speed limits are… problematic.”

“Yang Xiao-Long, fearsome Huntress and slayer of Grimm, stopped by traffic laws? What would your sister think of you?”

“That I’m reasonable and not suicidal.” Her eyes narrowed. “Talking about Ruby, though…”

“Oh.” He wheeled himself out from under the Sparrow, locking eyes with Yang. “Let me cut your overprotective sister thing off at the bud. I like Ruby, she’s a good kid and you’re a good sister. But she’s not my type, Beacon has rules against teachers dating students, and I can’t see it ever happening without copious amounts of alcohol and narcotics. Besides,” he added as an afterthought with a shrug as he went back under the Sparrow. “I’m too old for her.”

“Was actually meaning to ask that. How old are you?”

He considered the question. “I’ve been like this for about twenty-two years.”

“Like this?”

“Right, forgot to mention that yesterday. Guardians memories get… spotty, after their Ghost reawakens them. I can remember being taught how to walk, run, talk, drive a car, that kinda stuff. I remember enlisting in a military. That’s the clear stuff. Otherwise? Faces with no context, conversations I can barely remember a word of. I could have looked, we have the technology, but…” He trailed off, before shrugging again. “Hard to mourn a life you can’t remember much about, so I never bothered to check it out.”

Yang shook her head. “I could never live like that. I’d have to know who I was.”

“Truth is, didn’t really want to consider it since it’d likely end with me staring at a list of dead names. We don’t age, Yang. Even if there were family members who’d survived the Collapse, they’d be long dead by now. But enough about that. To answer your question, I’d guess that I was nearly thirty before I first died. So, depending on how you look at it, I’m anywhere between my twenties and thirties, meaning a fifteen-year-old? Never gonna happen. Anyway, I think… this is… nearly…”

Noir punctuated his words with twists of his wrench, eventually smacking the side of the stabiliser in frustration at the end of the sentence. With a whirl of power, the Sparrow elevated itself a foot above the ground, blue light emanating from the engine. Noir got up, a grin rapidly stretching across his face as he began to laugh.

“I knew it! My little bird’s back in the air!” He did an impromptu dance around the Sparrow, a voice in the back of Yang’s mind noting he was surprisingly adept at the art.

Yang came over the Sparrow, admiring the bike as it floated softly. She turned to Noir with a coy smile. “Can I break her in?”

“Yeah… no. I just fixed this thing after it broke last time, I’m treating this baby with kid gloves for a while.” He raised his hands apologetically. “I’ll let you as a present at the Dawning.”

Yang frowned. “Dawning?”

“You know, the event at the end of the year where everyone gathers together, shares gifts and welcomes in the new year?” At Yang’s quizzical expression, he pressed on. “Lanterns and candles lit everywhere to symbolise that classic adage of ‘it’s always darkest right before the dawn? Come on!”

“I think you mean Christmas.”

It was Noir’s turn to frown. “I prefer my holiday.” With that, he waved his hand across the air, the Sparrow dematerialising in front of Yang.

“So seriously,” she pressed. “How did you break it the first time?”

Noir shivered. “You don’t wanna know.”

* * *

 

Mars:

“Hey Sanguine, look! No hands!”

“Noir, in front of you-”

“What? I can’t hear you over how awesome I am by riding my Sparrow while standing up-”

Noir was subsequently interrupted by the Cabal Centurion that took this moment to show how unimpressed it was at Noir’s stunts by ripping him off his Sparrow and beating him to death with it. Umbra proceeded to record the entire thing, taking particular note of Noir’s high-pitched squeals of pain.

* * *

 

Now:

“I’m serious. You really don’t wanna know.”

Yang held up her hands. “Alright, story for another time, don’t worry. Need help clearing this up?”

Noir waved his hand casually. “Nah, I’ve got it covered. Besides, part of me feels like you’re only asking so you can get out of class.”

She smirked, shrugging as she did so. “Guilty as charged. In my defence, I wouldn’t wanna be in a room with Weiss after what happened earlier.”

Noir quirked an eyebrow. “Hadn’t heard of anything, but I spent most of this morning figuring my way around Beacon. What happened?”

“OK, quick version is that Port decided to bring a live Boarbatusk to class…”

* * *

 

Beacon Academy, Workshop, 14:52 PM:

Weiss stormed into the multi-level workshop that made up much of the basement of the classroom building, her heels clicking against the floor. Her general mood had prevented her from being confronted with inane conversation on the way to the workshop, which she took as a small blessing in disguise. After all, it would not do for someone of her stature to take out her rage on someone who wasn’t that dunce. Even after her small conversation with Professor Port, she still wasn’t quite ready to deal with her leader just yet. Thus, she sought out a quiet corner somewhere people wouldn’t look for her so she could put together the basics of… well, not an apology. More an acceptance that Ruby was leader and that she would have to deal with it.

The booths were on the opposite end of the floor from where Weiss came in, allowing her to pass several rows of workbenches. She knew when these had been advertised to the SDC that they were connected to a scroll network that make schematics for weapons, allowing for digital replicas to be formed into hard-light holograms. In theory, this would allow Huntsmen and Huntresses to mix and match components from weapons. Most of the benches were unoccupied, barring one near the back of the room, where Noir leaned on a bench, pouring over a few diagrams. He was so engrossed in them that even with her heels, Weiss could peek over his shoulder and see what he was considering before he realized she was there.

Several tabs were open at once on the screen, mostly pertaining to uses of Dust in combat- unsurprising, she noted, that he would examine this option if he had come from a world without Dust (which she was still on the fence on). Another set of pages focused on swords- a few cutlasses and rapiers put together, several sketches of medium-length blades and arrows pointing around the pictures to applications that could be added in. Two words, underlined, were “mobility” and “training.”

Noir jumped a little upon realizing Weiss was right beside him. He quickly at least tried to regain some composure, turning to Weiss.

“Hi there.”

“Good afternoon,” she curtly nodded in return, her interest piqued enough for her to stay and chat for a bit. “You’re considering a sword?”

“Figure I have enough guns to stock a small army at this point. I want to look into integrating some Dust into my gear, so I figure making something first is a good idea before I go tampering with my armour. Besides, I’m a bit lacking for swords.”

Weiss remembered the number of throwing knives that had adorned Noir’s belt while in the Emerald Forest. “What about your knives?”

“They’re built to be thrown, so their weight is a bit off. There’s a small explosive in the tip of the blade. Suffice to say, using it in close quarters is a bit of a bad idea. I do have a sword, but… it’s a bit big.”

“Oh? Do you have it with you?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Noir held his hand out, clenching it into a fist. His eyes closed and he began to concentrate. Fragments of light seemed to pool together around his hand, extending out. As it did so, the light shaped itself and took form, making a glistening orange crystal near Noir’s fist. Slowly, the light became more and more jagged on the side facing Noir as it extended, eventually stopping and forming into a tip. The light faded, leaving a vast broadsword with an orange crystal built into the guard alongside multiple jagged edges. Noir ran his thumb along the crystal and it lit up, the blade become decorated in a swirling fire that ebbed and flowed. His eyes opened, taking in the sword.

“Meet Raze-Lighter,” he said. “It’s got a heck of a punch in it, but as is probably obvious, it’s big. Big enough I can’t summon it horizontally in the booths.”

Noir closed his eyes again, and Raze-Lighter faded back into its hilt, which he tucked onto his belt.

“Hence, why I want to make something a bit smaller. I was thinking of something similar in size to your sword, if a bit larger and without the Dust chambers. Maybe not that look, though. But ideally, something I can hold in one hand while firing with my offhand.”

“Rapiers are an acquired taste,” Weiss admitted. “What do you want the weapon to do? You’ll want a rapier if you want to pierce through armour, a scimitar if you just want to hack and slash, a longsword if you want a bit of everything, and a cutlass if you want to look silly.” Weiss hadn’t had much of a hand in designing her own blade- Myrtenaster was forged for her after she showed a natural aptitude for fencing- though she did know a fair share about caring for her own weapon.

“Weiss, I love this thing, but… I wear a cape and hood. I stopped caring about looking silly a long time ago and never looked back.” He mulled over the designs. “I mean, purely from a visual perspective, I’m leaning towards this.” He gestured at a cutlass with a square-like guard. “Not sure if I should look into upgrades, if it even needs one. Maybe just some way to integrate Dust into it for better strikes?”

“But if you add to the hilt, then you’ll have to worry about weight balance getting thrown off.”

 Noir frowned. “Yeah. I’ll come back to it in future, need to think on it some more.” He saved his progress before shutting off the workbench, turning to Weiss and folding his arms. “So, what brings you down here?”

“I needed some time away from… pretty much everyone else. This place is big enough that I figured it would be easy here without going too far away.”

“Yeah, Yang filled me in a couple hours ago about Port’s class. And you seem to have come to the right place if you wanted to be alone. I swear, I nearly burst into tears when I saw this place. We have some fancy forges back home, but… wow, you guys love crazy weapons.” He gestured to the workbench. “I spent about a half hour here just looking at all the schematics available. I just…” he hesitated, looking for the right words.

“Got overwhelmed at the amount of options?”

“Yeah, that’s it. Gave me a newfound appreciation for you and Jaune for having such relatively simple weapons. Can you believe, right now, that someone is walking around with a purse that turns into a giant minigun?” He threw his hands up, a good-natured smile on his face. “This place takes the laws of physics out back and beats it to death with a crowbar.”

Weiss chuckled politely at his joke before Noir continued. “So, what did you want to get away from? I’m told I have a very good ear if you want to complain into it.”

Weiss sighed. “Just a leadership dispute with Ruby. Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Where you come from… if that’s true or not… were you a leader of your team?”

Noir’s head drooped for a second as he looked away from Weiss. “Not really? Fireteams never really had leaders, they were mostly formed as needed to deal with threats. We had commanders who gave orders, and we dealt with problems as we saw fit. It was more a system of ‘if you know more about this then the rest of us, take the lead.’”

“But did you ever lead?”

Noir shrugged. “Once or twice, why?”

Weiss decided to be blunt. “Do you think Ruby is a good leader?”

Noir turned back to Weiss, eyebrow raised. “Where’s this coming from?”

Very quickly, Weiss surmised her argument with Ruby in the wake of her tangle with the Boarbatusk. “I studied for this academy, trained for years to earn my place here, while she gets in on a special recommendation from Ozpin? She has the position handed to her without any real accomplishments?”

“She did come up with the plan to kill the Nevermore,” Noir countered.

“And nearly got herself killed numerous times before then! How am I supposed to follow her as a leader when I doubt her judgement and experience?”

Noir fell silent for a few moments before speaking again. “I don’t wanna take any sides on this, but I’ll point out a few things in defence of Ruby. One, she’s only fifteen, so of course she’ll have less experience than you. Two, she likely didn’t pick this job. If you want to take it up with someone, it’d be Ozpin. And three, who would you pick then, yourself? Because if so, your issues regarding her judgement can be applied to both Yang and Blake. Ruby has the familial connection with Yang, is trying to pry Blake out of her shell, and is partners with you, making her well suited to being your rock. Being a leader isn’t just about giving orders in battle and acting mature, it’s being there for the rest of your team, listening to them and their issues. Leaders need to be able to inspire people to believe in the future, and of the four of you, I think Ruby encapsulates that the most.”

He rubbed at his throat absentmindedly. “Sorry for the rant, I didn’t mean to lecture you. You get that enough from the other professors.”

“It’s fine. You’ve certainly given me something to think about.”

“Well, I’ve some more errands to run, so I’ll leave you to get to that thinking. See you around, Weiss.”

Noir packed up the gear he had with him, making for the elevator. Weiss watched him leave before moving to a booth, her steps much less fierce against the floor.

* * *

 

Beacon Academy, Library, 18:37 PM:

Blake wasn’t that surprised with herself that with the first chance she got, she proceeded to head right to the largest collection of books within reach. Beacon’s library contained large open areas with desks for students to gather together and study, alongside dozens of nooks and crannies among the towering rows of books for those seeking a quieter place to read. Though she had brought a fair share of books with her to Beacon, she made the call to check out the library to see how it stacked up.

That, and if she had to buy vending machine tea one more time, heads would roll. If she knew one thing about academy libraries, coffee shops that sold tea were more frequent in areas where students congregated than a closeted fan of Ninjas of Love. Not that she was speaking from experience.

Passing by one of the desks after acquiring some additional light reading and picking out a spot for herself down the line, Blake walked to the door, stopping for a second as she saw Ruby’s friend from the Bullhead with the fantastical story. He was stretching out over a book, rubbing his eyes and smiling, seemingly at a joke or an old memory.

Blake didn’t consider herself an introvert, despite what Yang (Ruby would be too nice to say anything like that) said about their first conversation being akin to pulling teeth. She simply didn’t say anything that didn’t need to be said, and if she disliked pointless conversation, that was complete coincidence. But if this person was going to be around her team, she needed to know where he stood on certain manners. So, with a small manner of reluctance, she moved away from the door, sitting opposite Noir as his eyes snapped open, his green meeting her yellow.

“Evening,” he said conversationally, picking up the book in front of him so he could close it. Seeing the cover, Blake saw it was Malinconia’s book on the Faunus Rights Revolution. She’d done one of the more comprehensive analyses on the war, documenting the build up to the conflict in a detailed trilogy. Apparently, Malinconia had heavily consulted with her own father, though she never asked for herself. Noir caught Blake looking at the book, setting it down. “Decided that if I was gonna be here for a while, might as well start looking into the history. Some online searches said Malinconia was one of the only historians to paint both sides of the conflict with a fair brush so…” he shrugged. “Seemed as good a place to start as any.”

“Why the Rights Revolution in particular?” Blake asked. “Most people would start with the Great War.”

“Part of a thing I did a few years ago- start with the most recent war and work your way back from there until you’re out of wars, then do general history from then until now. Can’t say why, it’s just how I do history.”

Blake hummed in the back of her throat and silence descended on the two as she put her hands on her lap. “So then, any thoughts so far from what you’ve read?”

Noir snorted quietly. “That the general who had the bright idea to attack a species with night vision at night is more than a little imbecilic. Otherwise? It was war- where the young and stupid are tricked by the old and bitter into killing each other for a conflict they never signed up for. But the Faunus being backstabbed over the promises made for their help in the Great War makes it justifiable why they’d resort to violence.”

Blake’s eyebrow rose. “That’s not the most popular viewpoint you could have.”

“Maybe it’ll change. It’s not something fully formulated yet- I’ll decide properly when I weigh everything. The context of why the revolution began and the aftereffects of it, like the White Fang.”

Blake froze. “And where do you stand on them?”

“The Faunus as a whole? Blake, I’m close friends with a robot and a blue alien- I really am the last person who can judge someone for having extra ears. If they’re an asshole, I don’t like ‘em, if they’re nice, I do. As for the White Fang, violence only begets more violence- trust me from experience, there’s no stronger motivation than hunting those who’ve killed your kin, and it seems that the White Fang’s left a lot of broken families in the name of progress.” He shook his head. “Looking at them now, they’re no better than the bigots who persecuted them in the first place?”

Blake’s fist clenched. “They’re fighting for what they believe in! Yes, the violence is horrible, but it’s a necessary evil since peaceful protesting didn’t work.”

Noir’s eyes narrowed. “Speaking from experience?”

Blake caught herself. “I… have a lot of friends who’ve gone down that path. I’m more sensitive to it than I care to admit on occasion.”

He looked at her for a long minute, eventually nodding slowly. “Sorry then.”

Blake looked around for something to change the subject. “Where’s your… companion, then?”

Noir smirked and tapped the side of his head. “Up here, complaining about how loudly I read in my head. I decided it was best for him to stay up here and not upset the populace- keep on the down low, so to speak.”

“Why, though? You didn’t seem to mind showing him and your abilities off to Yang, JNPR and myself, even though you only promised an explanation to Ruby, Weiss and Ozpin.”

“JNPR saw me pulling stunts off that I couldn’t explain away without lying about Auras and Semblances.” He frowned. “And I forgot to look into that today. Ah well. Regardless, they saw me doing some crazy stuff, and while I like Ruby and Weiss, I don’t doubt they’d have told you if you asked.” He shrugged again- it seemed to be a thing he did subconsciously. “I don’t mind people knowing, but I’d rather not create a scene. I don’t doubt you can keep a secret, so I don’t mind letting you know.”

Blake slowly nodded. _If you only knew._ She stood up, about to make for the door before a hideously evil thought crossed her mind and she decided to entertain it. “Can I make a book recommendation?”

“Sure.”

“Ninjas of Love. They’re adored here in Remnant.”

“Alright, I’ll see about getting a copy from here before I take off. Thanks Blake, see you around.”

Noir picked up his book and returned to reading. Blake, to her credit, managed to keep a smile from crossing her face until she left the library.

* * *

 

Beacon Academy, Balcony, 19:13 PM:

“I’m gonna kill Blake,” Noir muttered, holding an ice pack to his face. He’d heard legends of fearsome librarians who fought tooth and nail to protect their books, but this was the first time he’d heard of one attacking someone to prevent them from reading a book. This was also the first time he’d ever heard of a librarian using a chainsaw-shotgun. He’d guessed they’d favour precise weapons, but… well, this place was full of surprises.

After he’d snuck back into the library and found the book Blake recommended, he could see why. And then he’d been found again, which led to Ruby finding him in a twitching heap outside the library and dragging him to her dorm as he told her a surmised version over a glass of milk. The duo both agreed that that filth was bad form. Currently, the two sat at a table with Ghost floating freely overhead, Ruby slowly peeled off the ice pack, ignoring Noir’s wince as she continued to watch Noir’s face intently before nodding.

“The swelling is starting to stop. And what was that about Blake?”

“Nothing that bears repeating.” He mentally scrambled for a second to look for a change in topic. “You’re pretty good at this.”

“Yang got into a few fights in school back when we were kids. My dad was often out on missions, so I had to live and learn. That, and my uncle is… eccentric.” Those were good memories

Noir frowned. “Wait, where was your mom during this?”

Ruby’s face fell and Noir winced again. “Smooth,” Ghost said drily from his spot on the table. Noir shot him a glare which Ruby missed, lost in her head for a second.

_“Kid… she’s not coming back.”_

“Sorry,” Noir muttered after an awkward silence overtook the pair for a minute.

“It’s fine, you didn’t know. Can we… not talk about it?”

“Sure.” Noir turned his head and began muttering something under his breath again before fixing Ruby with a sideways look. “Gotta admit, I kinda expected this.”

“Huh?”

“Well, I talked to Yang at the chop shop, Weiss in the workshop, Blake in the library, and now here you are. I’ve been ticking your team off like a checklist.” He chuckled softly. “So, enough about me. How was your first day as leader?”

“It… could’ve been better.” Ruby twisted the hem of her cape, not making eye contact. “I mean, I thought I was helping Weiss when I encouraged her in class, but then she said those things… it’s been a long day.”

“Hey, at least you didn’t get attacked by a librarian. _Twice_. So, you likely did better than me, at least.”

“Heh, maybe. I just thought being a leader would be easier than this, you know?”

“It’s… not.” Ruby looked up at him. “You ever hear the phrase ‘you’re your own worst enemy?’ Whoever wrote that clearly knew a few leaders in their time. It’s perfectly natural to screw up, kid- you’re only human. But a good leader learns from their mistakes and rolls with the punches. A bad leader dwells on their screw ups beyond what’s healthy and lets it consume them. Could today have gone better? Maybe. But you did pretty well for someone who’s on the first day of the job. You’ll be a natural at this, Ruby. It’s just gonna take time to get there.”

“Huh. You’re pretty good at this lecture stuff.”

“… Am I? Oh, for the love of- that’s the fourth one today.” Noir’s face fell into his hands. “Seriously, what’s going on with me? I’m spouting them off like a teacher or something.”

“What was that about not beating yourself up?” Ruby’s eyes twinkled as she smirked at the Hunter.

“Ah, foiled by my own lecture. There’s a certain dramatic irony in there. I just can’t see it because of the swelling around my eyes mixed with a mean headache.”

Noir brought the ice pack up to his eye again as Ruby giggled, awkwardly finishing off his glass in the process with his other hand. Ruby got out of her chair, grabbing a plate of cookies and putting it beside the now empty glass.

“I’m gonna head to my room to study since I’ve done all I can for you. Can you see yourself out when you’re good for it?”

Noir took a few seconds to react, but eventually fixed Ruby with a look. Ghost outright laughed before she (Ruby was assuming at least, given how the drone had a slight feminine lilt to its voice) was grabbed and dunked into the glass, now upside down.

“Huh. My headache’s feeling better.” Noir peeled off the pack again and stuffed it into a freezer, picking up the glass and slipping a coaster under it. “I’ll be out of your hair now, Ruby. See you around.”

Ruby waved as the Hunter walked out the door, closing it behind him. She made her way to her bedroom, starting to go over some notes from today. She supposed that yeah, today hadn’t been too bad after all.

* * *

 

Beacon Academy, Ozpin’s Office, 00:07 AM:

Ozpin braced his hands under his chin, eyes sliding back and forth between his two guests. On the outside, he was an ocean of serenity barring a single clenched fist. Inwardly though, he was caging a beast of raw, unadulterated rage. It would be pointless to engage with the beast now, even though it would be satisfying to flip his desk, smash some glass and yell like a mindless Ursa. Satisfying, but pointless.

Glynda stood near the door, taking in the messenger beside her. As usual, he smelled drunk, swaying slightly, though his eyes were clear and he spoke with an even tone. Qrow Branwen might have one vice too many, but it had yet to directly interfere with his work- and he had recently had several chances to prove this.

Qrow looked at the scroll in front of Ozpin, lips perused.

“Guess Jimmy’s lucky that I was in Atlas on an odd job when the news broke for him. Or unlucky, depending on how he thinks of me this week. Either way, he had his goons drag me in before I got on my flight so you could get that scroll, told me not to open it until you read it.” Qrow shrugged. “Of course, my upstanding respect for the law meant that I followed that to the letter… until I got bored and cracked it open.” His face fell. “This is bad. Should we move Amber elsewhere?”

“No.” Ozpin’s reply was curt, toneless. “If _she_ could learn of the locations of two separate Maidens within a year and act on them, the last thing we need is the chance of them being compromised. Right now, we need to secure them away until a new plan is formulated, and there’s no safer place in Vale for Amber right now than below the CCT. Not even _she_ would be foolhardy enough to launch an assault here.”

Qrow nodded. “So then, we’re bringing Schnee in? Gotta admit, not the happiest bit of news I’ve gotten today.”

“Winter has potential, Qrow,” Glynda noted. “This is faster than we intended, but Ironwood vouches for her, and her contacts in the SDC and the Specialists could be invaluable... even if she has the personality of a brick wall.” She fixed Ozpin with a look. “What about our newest arrival, Malphur? You seemed interested.”

“I haven’t decided anything concrete yet,” Ozpin replied. “It’s too soon to judge anything for certain. I have some ideas on how to test his mettle, but those will need to wait until the end of this semester. Until then… we wait and see.”

Qrow nodded again, sauntering out. Glynda hesitated for a moment before following.

Ozpin sighed before looking down at the scroll, the simple words causing the beast within to rattle the chains once more.

_Summer is MIA, presumed dead. Keep your eyes open Ozpin. Cannot say more until I arrive in Vale soon.  
\- James._


	5. Cardinal Excommunicado

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the Hunter causes friction, makes new friends, and gets into a small scrap.

Two weeks ago- Glynda Goodwitch’s Office, 15:46 PM:

“Mister Malphur,” Goodwitch nodded briefly in Noir’s direction as he walked in, having knocked on her office door. She finished signing a document before fixing him with her full attention.

“Please, call me Noir. I’m not entirely comfortable with that surname.” Noir rubbed the back of his head as he stood there, unsure to sit down or not. The call from Goodwitch had come while he was finalising the first version of his new sword. He still had to name it, but a few interesting ideas would make it work exceptionally well soon enough.

“Very well… Noir. May I ask why?”

“It’s not my own surname. Couldn’t tell you it if you held a gun to my head. I took it to honour someone I respect very dearly.”

“Admirable in its own way,” Goodwitch quirked an eyebrow. “But moving on, why did you request this meeting?”

“I need to talk to someone about Aura; not what it is, I’ve read enough about that and how awakenings work, but getting it unlocked is proving… well, no one has a straight answer.”

“Ah, I understand why. It’s considered a greatly intimate thing to unlock one’s Aura for them, a sign of great trust and respect for that person. Some are awoken through traumatic incidents, and others through a moment wherein the need to survive precedents all others.”

“Huh.” Noir dimly remembered Jaune mentioning Pyrrha having unlocked his Aura, but then that would mean- oh. _Oh_. Poor Pyrrha. Of all the people to fall in love with, she fell for the one person who couldn’t see it.

“Look, I don’t mean to stamp all over your culture and its taboos, but if you want me to help in the ring, I need my Aura unlocked so I can train with it. And you’re probably the person I know best that can do it.”

“You realize this doesn’t speak well to your relationships since you got here, correct?”

“Nothing I haven’t already told myself,” Noir sighed. “So what do you need me to do?”

“Just sit down opposite me, and take my hand.” Noir sat slowly into the seat opposite Goodwitch, taking the teacher’s outstretched hand. Lights seemed to emanate from the two as Goodwitch closed her eyes, Noir following suit.

“I extend my soul unto yours, forming a mirror which reflects the world away from your heart. May your senses be forever sharp, your honour preserved, your body honed. Let your soul be released, and may the mirror stand unblemished for eternity.”

Noir’s eyes snapped open, air escaping his lungs as he watched strands of purple flow from Goodwitch into his wrist, which unlocked… a reserve inside of him, for lack of a better term. A flat blue surface, almost like a pane of glass, manifested over his hand as he clenched and unclenched his fist. Goodwitch slumped back in her chair, releasing a pent-up breath.

“Woah, you alright?” He reached across to Goodwitch, but she waved his hand away.

“The process requires me to use a not-insignificant amount of my own Aura to jumpstart yours. I’ll recover in due time, don’t worry for me.”

Noir withdrew his hand. “Well, I’ve got some tests to run. Thanks again Goodwitch, I owe you for this.”

A small smile graced Goodwitch’s face as Noir left, nodding to him as the door closed.

* * *

 

Beacon Academy, training area, 17:31PM:

Another Thursday, another ninety minutes of students gearing up to try and beat each other into bloody pulps. Noir really had to stop being such a downer when it came to this. Goodwitch managed this aspect of Beacon’s curricular (Alongside what seemed at times like the entire school), and to say she ran the students like a slave driver would have been a compliment to the slave drivers. Her word was law, here, and such laws applied to Noir as much as the students. For the most part, given how new he was to this kind of arena fighting (Which was to say, fighting where you didn’t strike to kill), he was expected to simply provide overwatch for the matches. Which mostly came down to watching the students’ auras from the sidelines and keeping people from fighting when they were on the brink of entering the red state- or when Aura hit 15%. He fiddled with his scroll, looking at the green line that indicated his own after Goodwitch had helped him unlock it.

He had never been more bored in his entire life.

It wasn’t that Noir was ungrateful for the opportunity to see how people with Aura fought, or intrigued at the prospects it offered. But he lived for exploration, for wandering the great frontier with nothing to him but skill. Several weeks cooped up in Beacon had been good relaxation for the soul, but the body was rearing for a proper challenge beyond drones in the training arena. He couldn’t just ask one of the students to a fight- his lack of Aura experience meant that he wouldn’t know how to pull his punches. There was a whole new world out there for him to wander, and here he was looking at a bunch of teenagers fighting. Even if he’d had someone to watch with, it would have been more bearable- someone to bounce ideas off of, to see what he meant when he saw errors in a fighting style. Yes, Ghost was there, but the two were practically two sides of the same coin- he meant more someone who wasn’t bonded to him for life.

“That concludes our lesson for today class,” Goodwitch noted as she examined each team. “Remember to prepare for our excursion into Forever Fall in the coming weeks- we hope to not encounter any Grimm out there, but preparation is its own reward.”

The teams flocked out of the stadium after this short speech, Ren and Pyrrha having to practically carry Jaune out of the room after a disastrous fight with Cardin Winchester of team CRDL. Noir had seen their type before- overinflated egos serving to cover up only mediocre skills, not helped by their seeming lack of real training time outside of these matches. Cardin had taken an interest in Jaune, which almost guaranteed a rivalry between CRDL and JNPR.

That sort of schoolyard antics wasn’t normally in his purview, but what got Noir’s blood boiling was that these people were wearing the name Hunter when they hadn’t deserved it. Being a Hunter meant more than being a good shot, or a strong fighter. It was about more than making the wilds, those dangerous outlands where only the brave and stupid roamed, their homes while others sat it libraries or atop walls. Being a Hunter, or a Huntsman, whatever they called it, was more than all of that. And it was a damn sight more than schoolyard bullies who picked on others that were too weak or wouldn’t fight back.

But when they stepped out of line? He’d be ready. And then he’d show them what it really meant to be a Hunter.

* * *

 

“… And so that’s when I looked all the marshmallow people in the eyes, reached for my weapon- and woke up.”

“Amazing,” Weiss said, completely deadpan while filing her nails, as Nora continued retelling her thrilling adventures to RWBY and JNPR, with Noir also getting to hear much of the story from down the table where he had been quietly eating alone. Her gaze drifted across the hall, taking in the fellow students eating and engaging in tomfoolery. Slowly, the conversation drifted away from Nora’s ramblings to Jaune’s defeat earlier in the day at the hands of Cardin Winchester.

“Guys, I’m fine. Seriously, look!” Jaune put on a brave face, seemingly ignoring the worried look Pyrrha gave him. Noir quietly snorted, leaning back.

A loud laugh caught everyone’s attention, their gazes shifting to where CRDL was crowded around another student- a Faunus with large rabbit ears named Velvet Scarlatina who looked like she desired to be anywhere else. Weiss’s ears picked up a soft protest of metal and wood, and her head shifted to where Malphur was sitting, hands clenched tightly around the table. His eyes had narrowed into slits as he watched the proceedings, breathing slow and deep in his chest like a beast.

“He’s a bully,” Ruby replied bluntly, taking in the scene.

“What? Name one time he’s ‘bullied’ me.”

“He did tip your books over,” Ren noted.

“And activated your shield while you were walking through a doorway,” Pyrrha added.

“And the rocket locker?” Ruby quirked an eyebrow at Jaune.

“I didn’t land far from the school!”

Pyrrha laid a hand on Jaune’s shoulder. “Jaune, you know if you need help we’ll be there for you.”

“Oh!” Nora stood up dramatically. “We’ll break his legs!”

 “Guys, really, it’s fine! Besides, it’s not like he’s just a jerk to me,” Jaune continued obliviously, Weiss tuning back in. “He’s a jerk to everyone-”

“Ow, that hurts!” Velvet yelled as Cardin grabbed her ear roughly in his fist. Other students looked up and then away apathetically, bystander syndrome a thing even among Huntsmen and Huntresses in training.

“I told you they were real,” he said to his teammates, laughing on command at their fellow student’s suffering.

“What a freak,” one of them agreed.

“Atrocious,” Pyrrha growled into her tray. “I can’t stand people like him.”

“He’s not the only one,” Blake murmured.

“Must be hard to be a Faunus,” Yang said in agreement. The screech of a chair being pushed back reverberated along the table. Jaune stopped, turning as Noir shoved past him towards CRDL, boots pounding against the ground.

* * *

 

Noir had been very forthcoming with information about his world when he told his story to Ozpin, RWBY and JNPR, but he had kept a few things secret. The forces of the Darkness, for one, but various Guardian abilities had been omitted from his explanation of his skills. The unique ability to cheat death was one of these abilities, the Hunter reasoning at the time that until Ghost could verify that it could replicate Light and use it for resurrection, there was no point getting people excited over nothing (Noir had since painfully confirmed that resurrection was possible). Similarly, Noir had glossed over the different Paths that each Guardian took.

There were of course the three main divisions- Titans, Warlocks and Hunters- and each of those had three Paths to walk. Titans had their Strikers, Sunbreakers and Defenders, Warlocks had the Stormcallers, Sunsingers and Voidwalkers, while Hunters had Bladedancers, Gunslingers and Nightstalkers. Noir himself leaned towards the Path of the Gunslinger, though he’d had extensive training as a Bladedancer as well, to compensate for his lack of close-range options. One oddity to Paths though, was how the Light seemed to change aspects of a person over time. It wasn’t anything drastic, but Noir started to note how he tended to be cooler and more composed as a Gunslinger, while when he embraced the path of the Bladedancer, he became more… passionate, for lack of a better word. More openly enthusiastic, quicker to drive to anger, more likely to laugh, and a complete lack of self-control.

Not that he likely would have stood by and watched CRDL, of course. He was always bad at just leaving something be without stepping in. Part of him knew why RWBY and JNPR kept their loathing of the group to glares and mutterings behind their backs; they were the ones who had to live with them for four years before they’d never have to see each other again. But like hell would he stand by and watch as they abused someone who could- and frankly should- have been fighting back.

Noir would bluntly admit if asked that he’d never even talked to Velvet before that day. He’d read up on CFVY (Realizing in horror that this was the team with the fabled minigun purse) and dimly noted her name and weapon before filing it away. He also would bluntly admit that stopping CRDL from bullying Velvet because she was a Faunus was the last thing on his mind. Someone was getting hurt and they didn’t deserve it, so he stepped in.

A quick mental command saw his armour appearing across his body barring his helmet, plates securing themselves in a nanosecond as hard light solidified across his form. A second thought saw one of the signature moves of the Bladedancer activate, his physical form flickering for a moment before fading away, leaving behind little but blue crackles of energy.

Quite frankly, he thought to himself as he stalked closer to CRDL, closing the distance in a scant few heartbeats, Velvet shouldn’t have been dealing with this. CFVY were infamously protective of each other like a second family, and Noir had no doubt from what he’d read, including a police report that saw half the team spent the night in a jail cell, that if they were aware of this, CRDL would spend the rest of the semester in the medical bay. Which indicated that unless this was a first-time event, she was covering it up. To protect them from her team’s wrath? He didn’t know.

Cardin’s hand was still wrapped around Velvet’s ear, clenching tight around the appendage. Velvet squirmed, eyes clenched in acute pain. Noir’s hand shot out, grabbed Cardin’s armoured wrist and clenching tight. The invisibility effect shattered, a puff of Light bursting out from the Hunter as he glared at Cardin, gaze boring into the younger man’s eyes. Cardin’s hand released Velvet’s ear as he gasped in shock and the girl darted back, taking in the scene. The rest of CRDL acted impressively quickly, the kid with the mohawk having two short blades out right away, his body tensing up to jump across the table.

Cardin’s gaze drifted over to the boy with the mohawk, and he waved with his offhand. “Stand down, Russel.” He fixed Noir with a cocky grin that made his face even more punchable. “Why don’t you let go of me?

“Not seeing much of a reason to, tough guy. Doesn’t tend to speak well to one’s character when they gang up on someone four-on-one.”

“Well I’m not seeing much of a reason for you grabbing my arm. I was only making sure its ears were real!” Noir’s grip tightened, and Cardin’s smirk widened. “Oh wait, are you just doing this to impress it? The whole cloak and hood thing probably should have told me you like them young.”

“Wow,” Ghost muttered. “He is such a cliché.”

Noir took a few seconds to respond, knuckles tightening evermore. “I saw someone in trouble and stepped in. Like a Hunter should. What a Hunter _shouldn’t_ be doing is going after someone who refuses to fight back.”

“That? That was just some horsing around. You know what that is? Heck, you know anything? You just showed up and suddenly you’ve a job here, like some hot stuff.”

“Walk away,” Noir’s tone slipped a few degrees below freezing, “or you’ll get to see first-hand what me horsing around looks like.”

“Is that the truth?”

“No. A fact.”

“Mister Malphur,” a voice rang out, “I would hope you contain yourself around the students.”

Glynda’s sentence was accompanied by the sharp crack of her riding crop. Noir blinked, slowly. His grip loosened and Cardin pulled his arm back.

“Miss Goodwitch,” he began, “what are the formal rules regarding a student duelling a teacher?”

A blonde eyebrow rose sharply. “If the teacher was to accept the challenge, then the student would be allowed to bring their team to even the odds. Why ask this Mister Winchester?”

“Because I wish to challenge Noir Malphur.”

A ripple of murmurs ran through the hall. Noir’s gaze drifted slowly over to RWBY and JNPR, openly watching the proceedings. His eyes caught those of Goodwitch, two pairs of green eyes meeting. He slowly nodded.

“I accept the challenge. When and where?”

“Tomorrow afternoon, the arena. You lose from Aura depletion, tap out or getting knocked out of the ring.”

Noir’s armour flashed away, leaving him in his civilian clothes. He turned on his heel, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Fine by me,” he said coolly over his shoulder. As he left the cafeteria and rounded the corner, he grimaced, putting his head against the wall.

“You- stupid- idiot- getting- into- a fight with- an- entire- team!” Each word was punctuated with Noir slamming his head against the unrelenting stone wall, his Aura annoying flaring up each time to prevent him from hurting himself. He relented in his assault, sighing quietly.

“I need to stop thinking that this stuff is boring. It’s just tempting fate in new and exciting ways."

* * *

 

Dormitory Block. 19:12PM:

Out of all the habits Noir had to pick up, he supposed that aimless wandering was far from the worst most of the time. It did help him in seeing more of Beacon, but it also meant that more often than not, he ran into people when he wanted to just stew in his thoughts for a while. Then again, said wandering did have a habit of bringing him near the dormitories, so he only had himself to blame in that case. Sometimes it also meant he came across events more than people.

He should have been preparing, though. Making sure his equipment was functioning, testing the additions to his arsenal and getting more practice in with his Aura to see how well it could hold up under fire… but that could all wait. He’d work through the night if he had to- wouldn’t be the first time.

He was snapped out of his thoughts at an intersecting hallway that led to a collection of alcoves, as one of Cardin’s thugs- Russel, he thought, judging by the mohawk- went skidding by him. He had evidently been caught with his Aura down, as it looked like a nasty shiner would be adorning his face soon. A woman walked over to the door, looking like she’d walked right off the front page of a fashion magazine- the beret, sunglasses and signature purse of Coco Adel. Behind her walked a man about her age- flaming burnt orange hair, eyes with no definable iris, orange vest with no sleeves- Fox Alistair. Both were fixing Russel with looks that spoke of horrific violence awaiting him. Noir stood back, watching the proceedings.

Coco lowered her glasses. “Can we help you?” Her tone was freezing cold, the intimidating visage only accompanied by Alistair at her shoulder.

“No.” Russel felt his jaw, rotating it slowly. He stood slowly, staring at the two Huntsmen with a glare before turning and walking away down a separate corridor. Noir stayed where he was against a wall, catching Coco’s eye by accident.

“Lost, buddy?” Her voice rang out into the hallway, seeming to fill every corner and demand attention.

Noir shrugged. “Nah, just stretching my legs and getting a view, unless you call dibs on that balcony.”

Peering past Coco’s shoulder, he could spy two people outside- Velvet, and an absolute giant of a man, hand on her shoulder as they sat on a bench.

Noir caught Coco’s gaze again. “Relax, I’m not here to get into a fight. I’m already getting into one because of the pretty lady out there.”

Velvet stiffened suddenly- crap, Faunus had enhanced hearing, he’d forgotten. 

“Wait then, so you’re Malphur?” Fox was much quieter than his companion, almost a muted whisper.

Noir got off the wall, releasing a theatrical bow. “The one and only. But please, call me Noir.”

“News of a teacher getting challenged to a fight spread quickly among the students, even if it’s just an assistant teacher. I imagine you’ll have a large turnout tomorrow.”

“Huh.” Noir mulled on that. Part of him wasn’t fond of it- he just wanted this nonsense over with as soon as possible with minimal fuss. But again, those flared up passions reared their head, and a smile graced the Hunter’s lips. “Well, guess I’ll have to put on a good show now.”

Coco barked out a laugh. “A teacher not afraid to get down and dirty? Took long enough to find one.”

“Assistant,” he corrected. He nodded in the direction of Velvet. “She gonna be fine?”

The mood died down quickly after he said that. Coco shrugged. “She will be, after I tear her a new one for not getting us involved when they started that crap up.” She sighed. “I swear, part of me wishes I was the one fighting them alone tomorrow.”

“If you did,” Fox added with a slight smirk, “They’d need dental records to identify their bodies. At least Mister Malphur will keep them alive.”

“No promises,” Noir replied glibly. “and please, call me Noir. I feel old when people call me that.”  

Fox bowed his head towards the older Hunter. “Fox Alistair, and this is Coco Adel, our fearless leader. Thank you, by the way. For whatever reasons you did it, I’m glad someone stepped in and helped Velvet.”

“Was wondering about that, actually. Velvet’s a second year, she could wipe the floor with them. Why didn’t she fight back?”

Fox shrugged. “Her reasons are her own, but if I was to speculate? She doesn’t wish to perpetuate stereotypes. That Faunus are snarling at the bit to fight anyone that pushes them. If she engaged in violence with… those types of people,” Fox’s lips curled disdainfully, “all they would do is continue to attack her. As well, they had a four on one advantage.”

“And yet that’s not stopping me,” Noir muttered glumly.

“Cheer up old-timer,” Coco said, eyes twinkling from behind her glasses, “we’ll get to see if age beats youth tomorrow. I’ll be rooting for you.”

“Thanks… I think. I’ll see you around, still got some stuff to prepare for tomorrow.” Coco and Fox nodded, moving out to Velvet and the giant accompanying her. Noir stood for a second, watching the team before Ghost materialised behind him.

“What’s up? I can tell you’re feeling down.”

“Yeah.” The Hunter ran his hand through his hair, sighing. “Just… a bit of homesickness. Just because I know going home isn’t possible soon doesn’t mean I can’t be glum about it. Especially because I keep getting reminded of what I lost coming here every corner I turn.”

Noir started to walk away, Ghost floating beside him. “I mean, say what you will about CRDL, and there is a _lot_ to say about them, but at least they have each other, and their families at home.” He chuckled bitterly. “What do I have? Aside from you, a bunch of memories and weapons are all I have of home. Hell, we’re just being optimistic when we hope that Umbra and Sanguine landed here.”

“Aren’t you the one normally stressing the importance of hope and optimism?” Noir didn’t respond, instead stopping at a wall, resting his back on it.

“Yes, we’re far from home, and yes, the chances of seeing home again are slim to impossible,” Ghost pressed on, “but you said it yourself- we can still do good here. Help these kids become ready for the Grimm, that they have a confidant, and that we give them a place to grow into their own. If the others show up, we’ll be ready to help them. So I’d say you’ve got stuff to be hopeful for. If nothing else, you’ve got to kick their asses.”

Noir let out a huff of air. “You make it sound so simple.”

“It’s part of my charm. And because one of us has to have a cool head on their shoulders. Now come on; we’ve got some equipment to go over. Can’t say I agree with what you’ve done to Raze-Lighter, but you may as well be good with it.”

* * *

 

Practice Arena, Friday. 15:00 PM:

Noir looked up at the display, his one solitary green bar that displayed his picture standing alone against the four bars representing CRDL. He rolled his neck and shoulders, cracking the joints under his fully equipped armour, barring his helmet. Most of the students had yet to arrive- not his students, he noted. They wouldn’t be if he lost this.

Glynda strolled over to him, catching his elbow and pulling him close. “Are you sure about this, Noir? It isn’t usually policy for students and teachers to fight.”

“I can’t back out now,” he shrugged. “Any point I try to make to them will be undermined if I don’t show that I deserve their respect, so I need to fight them.”

Goodwitch hesitated, then nodded. “Then the best of luck to you.”

“Feel like I mightn’t need it, but thanks.”

Goodwitch nodded again, moving out of the arena. “Besides,” Noir muttered to himself. “this might even be fun.”

Across from him, four figures marched into the room, taking a position on the opposite end of the brown circle that adorned the centre of the room. CRDL had suited up, everyone but Russel in large heavy plate. Noir frowned slightly. That complicated things, as the weapon he was going to use would be inefficient against such heavy armour. His revolvers, despite their stopping power were also at a disadvantage, with the arena’s size meaning that even if he secured a large distance from them, he would be unable to squeeze off many shots before they closed the distance. A change in plans was in order then.

As Coco had predicted, a not-insignificant number of students were watching the proceedings, light blue barriers keeping any stray shots from impacting. RWBY and JNPR had seats about halfway up, while CFVY were a row behind them.

Noir held his right hand up to his shoulder, a mental command causing Raze-Lighter to adorn his back before he drew it in front of him. Ace of Spades sat on his hip alongside another small pistol, black with gold ornamentation. At this close a range, Trespasser’s burst fire would be useful if he could snap off some shots. His belt was fitted with some spare ammunition and throwing knives, but primarily secured several different grenades- smoke, flashbang, and a few Arc grenades.

Planting the sword down for a second, Noir fixed CRDL with an even look before pulling his helmet onto his head, fixing it into place. Flipping his hood up, he twirled the blade into a forward grip, both hands resting on the handle as he settled into a ready stance. CRDL followed suit.

“Are both sides ready?” Goodwitch called from the sidelines. All five fighters nodded- no time for jibes now.

“Any last words?” Cardin called out.

Alright, fine. Time for one. A moment of silence filled the room, background chatter fading away. Noir let some Arc energy run along his arms, the fire from Raze-Lighter dancing with the bolts of electricity along the jagged blade.

“Let’s dance,” he said in a low voice.

“Begin!” Goodwitch called, and Noir jumped forward into a Blink Strike _._ A streak of blue and crackling white energy ran across the arena, the Hunter rematerializing in and opening with a sweeping slash across Cardin’s chest.

The plate, bolstered by Aura, held, a streak of sparks showing where the blade met steel to the accompaniment of screeching metal. Slicing twice more, Noir jumped back before Cardin could retaliate, sword out in a defensive stance.

In hindsight, not the best choice of action; even though pulling back meant they had to come to him, it gave them time to go around him and prepare a flanking strike. Russel and Dove charged together while Cardin and Sky moved along the side, weapons now at the ready.

Russel plunged forward, daggers shining in the light. Noir jumped back, his blade meeting Dove’s as he took the initiative to close in. Their blades locked into place before Noir slammed the two swords into the ground. Angling the blade, Noir launched a quick series of slashes across Dove’s torso, pushing him back with a kick to the midsection.

Russel leapt back in, and Noir vanished yet again, appearing behind Russel. Cardin charged after him, his mace in an overhead swing as Russel turned swiftly. The three fighters engaged in a swift flurry of blows, the Hunter using an overhead swing to keep blocking Cardin and Russel at the same time.

He released his left hand from the sword, pulling a knife out from the veritable armoury that was his belt. Hefting both weapons, Noir made the universal gesture for “come get some,” and Russel and Cardin charged.

Dove, in the meantime, picked himself back up, shifting his grip on his weapon so the revolver mechanism stood out. Despite the moving target that Noir presented as he span between Cardin and Russel, his aim was true. Noir’s Aura flared as it stopped the shots, but they faltered his step. Cardin lunged forward, his dust-enhanced mace slamming into Noir’s ribcage.

The world span for Noir as he went flying, impacting the ground twice before catching himself, his longer sword skidding along the ground as he drove it in to slow him down. He got up, instinctively feeling his ribs, before ripping Raze-Lighter out of the ground and levelling it at Dove.

Dove had a ranged component, while the others mostly relied on brute force. Eliminating him would be a sound tactical choice, especially since Dove was relatively isolated from the others. Noir shrugged to himself, sheathing the sword on his back and pulling two grenades off his belt.

Another blink, and Malphur was suddenly beside Dove. Before he could react, Noir popped the first grenade and threw it to the ground, plumes of smoke covering the two. Pulling the pin on the second grenade, Noir threw it into Dove’s face, his own helmet shielding his eyes and ears from the effects.

Dove cried out in pain from the flashbang, the sound turning into a gurgle as Noir went for the throat with a clenched fist before launching a dropkick on the incapacitated Hunter. His body suddenly flying out of the smoke cloud and out of the arena. He hit the wall, slumping down as he struggled to get back up.

“Match point,” Goodwitch’s voice rang out, “Mister Bronzewing has been eliminated due to being removed from the ring.” Noir strode out the other side of the smoke which faded around him, licking the edges of his cape. Cardin, Russel and Sky closed in from different angles, weapons at the ready.

Noir drew his blade again, keeping it resting along his right shoulder. A small mote of light that trickled off his armour re-formed into his knife, this one crackling with a blue lightning that emanated from his gauntlet. He could afford to spend a little Light on this. It wasn’t a full Arc Blade, but using it would risk hurting them a lot more than he intended.

The four combatants charged, sword, halberd, dagger and mace meeting in a clash at the middle that caused a small shockwave. Noir pushed the assault this time and launched a swift assault on Sky, blades almost invisible save for the splashes of colour that accompanied a hit in Aura wherever they struck.

Russel, with less armour to protect him, slid back. He slammed his two daggers together at the edge of the hilt, energy starting to radiate from the weapons. Cardin, seeing this, also backed away, blocking where he could with his mace. Sky span his halberd to try and push Noir back. The hunter instead pushed into Sky’s personal space, grabbing the halberd and pinning it under his arm.

A sudden jerk saw the weapon fly out of Sky’s grasp, before Noir blinked to behind Sky, blades flying in a flurry of blows. His armour gave him additional protection for only a few more seconds before he was sent flying back, the bar bearing his name on the overhead screen slipping into a deep shade of red.

“Mister Lark has been removed due to Aura depletion.”

Russel darted forward before Goodwitch finished her sentence, a battle cry on his lips as he slashed at Noir. He parried the blow, only to jerk as Russel’s weapons slid off his chest with a crackle of Aura. Behind Thrush was a series of stills of him, like his picture had been taken mid-swing. But each still image still moved forward, carrying on the movement and attack action. Cardin stood behind the afterimages, grinning smugly.

This was his Semblance, then- afterimages that could also attack. This presented a complication. Raze-Lighter was a fast blade in Noir’s hands, but the sheer number of assaults Russel was launching necessitated a change in pace.

Dispelling it, Noir drew another of his Arc Blades, choosing not to activate his Super just yet. With the shorter blade, he blocked more efficiently, the air around him crackling with electricity as the blows between the two grew steadily faster and faster.

Interesting. It seemed that a side-effect of Russel’s afterimages was that his reaction time seemed to have accelerated, as he could keep up with the blows. Noir was at least preventing Russel from impacting his Aura, but the same was true in reverse.

Kicking Russel back worked against him, too- he was really starting to hate fighting things faster than him. Russel leapt forward, launching into a triple somersault. The blades slid past his own knives, raking across him. Russel’s afterimages carried on the attack as Russel’s feet drove into Noir’s stomach, sending the Hunter flying until he skidded to a stop. Russel smirked, legs tensing for a leap to finish the job when Noir tossed a knife at him.

He dodged, watching it hit the ground behind him. Which meant that even with the enhanced speed his Semblance gave him, he failed to notice the glowing blue sphere Noir tossed in an underhanded swing until it stuck to his chest.

The grenade detonated, Russel’s body beginning to jerk and spasm in pain. His afterimages mirrored the motion, alongside the recoil and gasp for air that accompanied the knife that buried its way into Russel’s shoulder-guard.

This knife detonated, a flash of fire running over Russel’s Aura, which was losing colour in several places. Re-drawing his knives, Noir blinked forward, two diagonal slashes in an X pattern sending Russel flying away, Aura in the red.

“Mister Thrush has been eliminated due to Aura depletion.” Noir took a second to turn to Cardin, making eye contact through his helmet. He drew Raze-Lighter again.

The two fighters charged, their weapons almost singing as they closed the distance. No movements were wasted, no strikes were held back; both struck with intent to take the other down as fast as possible. They span around, Noir spinning his weapon to get it in a better grip before Cardin closed in.

He hated to admit it to himself, but Cardin had a slight edge in this contest- he was evidently used to these kinds of battle, and his weapon was more accommodating for the close quarters.

His surprising speed given his appearance and fighting style also worked in his favour. Though he was able to keep Cardin’s mace from slamming into him at full blast, Noir still took several glancing strikes along his arms.

The two backed up, and Cardin’s mace began to glow. Roaring, he slammed it into the ground, a large shockwave emanating from where it struck the ground. A large crack began to form towards Noir, and Cardin unleashed some dust from his mace. The crack shot towards Noir, jets of fire streaking out. Noir jumped aside at the last second, the Hunter skidding down onto one knee from the bad angle of the jump.

So then, Cardin could make shockwaves. Fitting, he guessed. That would be a pain to counter, he figured, but if he kept up close he should be able keep him from activating his Semblance again. As he started to get back up, Cardin closed the distance, bringing his mace down in a two-handed swing. Raze-Lighter caught the mace, the two weapons generating sparks as they skidded against each other. Cardin had the height advantage and both his hands on his mace, while Noir only had one hand on the hilt. This contest wrote itself.

Cardin leaned in closer with a low ground. “Should’ve got the hint before now. You aren’t welcome here.”

Noir made eye contact, smiling under the helmet. “I beg to differ.”

And then Cardin jerked, his mace dropping out of his hands, mouth open in silent agony. He fell back as Noir rose confidently, left hand rising with Trespasser, the barrel still smoking from the burst of fire into Cardin’s chest.

Noir fired again, another burst running across Cardin’s armour. A third shot sent Cardin down, Aura shimmering as he entered the red.

“Mister Winchester has been removed due to Aura depletion. Mister Malphur wins.”

Noir settled on his haunches by Cardin, offering him a hand as polite applause rang out from the audience. Cardin, after a few seconds, took the hand and the two rose. Noir nodded to the audience, then walked away, weapons dematerialising.

The bell rang, signifying the end of the class, and the students left the auditorium, surrounded by the chatter of other students.


	6. Clearing the air... with shock-fists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the Hunter sees the point, lies are noted and Forever Fall gets redecorated.

Forever Fall:

The tail lashed out and Ruby was sent flying, Crescent Rose dropping from her hand as she was sent slamming into a tree. It bucked under her, and she hit the ground, a soft groan escaping her lips. If her Aura hadn’t been gone before then, it was definitely shattered now.

The Deathstalker chittered to itself, almost seeming to relish in the victory from the middle of the clearing. A series of shots slammed across its armoured chitin plates, Noir pouring fire into it from a distance with Last Word.

“Ruby, get out of here!” She shot him a look from the ground. “Don’t worry about me, you need to run!”

He darted forward, Raze-Lighter in hand as he slashed down with a plume of fire. The blade slid against the chitin, the flames only scorching the plates but not melting them. How had JNPR killed one of these during initiation?

Oh, right. Heavy explosives, severing the stinger and levelling a bridge. Noir had access to neither a big enough bomb or a bridge at this point, but he could at least cut the stinger.

But that meant getting close, and this beast was surprisingly agile, slamming Noir with a claw. It was also irritatingly smart, its claws moving quickly to protect its eyes as the Hunter was forced back. Effectively, it was bulletproof. Noir didn’t _like_ things that were bulletproof. They tended to be trying to kill him.

The Deathstalker finally had enough of being shot, and chose to back up and turn around, stinger plunging down.

Instinct took over as the Hunter leaped forward, coated in Arc energy. There was a horrible sensation that passed over him as he _blinked_ through the Deathstalker, rematerializing right in front of Ruby, blade angled to deflect the strike.

The stinger slid along the blade, shooting out of Noir’s back to the accompaniment of the sound of a shattered Aura. His breath escaped his lungs- that had _hurt,_ and the pain subsequently put a lot into focus- Ruby’s muted gasp of shock, more of that damnable chittering, his sword slipping out of his grasp and clattering onto the forest floor (Interesting that he kept his grip on his pistol), boots pounding on the dirt nearby, and blood beginning to pool out of the side of his mouth.

Had his Aura been that low? He’d taken a lot of hits for the other students. This whole thing had gone to hell in a handbasket.

So it wasn’t a surprise, Noir surmised in his head, oddly calm as he was flung aside and Ruby’s scream filled his ears, that of course it had to be Jaune’s fault that he died.

* * *

 

Four hours ago, Beacon Academy:

“I’ll be happy to have your assistance Noir.” Glynda and Noir stood side by side as the first-year students piled onto several Bullheads, fuelled and ready to go somewhere outside of Beacon. While the Bullheads were mostly loaded by team, Jaune seemed to have entered the one with CRDL in it. Odd.

“Eh,” he shrugged, “You’d have been fine.”

“Oh I don’t doubt my abilities in keeping them in check, but an extra pair of eyes will never go astray when it comes to teenagers.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Noir muttered in response. With the students loaded up, the two entered as well, Glynda moving to the Bullhead occupied by NPR, Noir to the one with RWBY. He knew it looked like favouritism, but he’d rather have someone to talk to rather than a frosty silence.

Blake nodded to Noir as he entered, the elder Hunter sitting by the door. “Welcome aboard. I’m glad you made it before Yang decided to try and declare sovereignty.”

“Hey, that happened one time! And Ruby, I told you not to tell that story!”

“Like you told me sis, nothing good ever happens after midnight.” Ruby looked over at Noir. “But what Blake said. You ask for this assignment?”

Noir paused. “In a way,” he said after a second of hesitation, “you could say I was desperate to take on this assignment.”

* * *

 

Three hours prior, Ozpin’s office:

“Ozpin, please, I don’t care if it’s trash removal, _get me out of this damn school_ or I won’t be accountable for my actions! I need to go outside!”

“Well, I do have this one assignment-”

“I’m in.”

* * *

 

Noir stared out the window as the Bullhead took off, Beacon pulling away in the distance. His foot tapped rhythmically on the floor.

Weiss tapped his shoulder. “Not a fan of flying?”

He shrugged. “Not a fan when I’m not the pilot. Last time I was distracted because I had something to talk about.” He frowned. “Speaking of, you notice anything about Jaune recently? Been seeing him hang out with CRDL a lot since around…” he struggled for the right word. “You know, when-”

“When you kicked their butts in a four on one fight?” Yang asked.

“Yeah, that. I mean, the dude can make friends with who he wants, but why CRDL? Cardin was kicking his ass not a day prior to the sudden shift.” Noir hesitated again. “Then again, _everyone_ kicks Jaune’s ass. And I’ve seen his record, that man has no excuse to be that sloppy.”

Yang leaned forward. “Wait, what does Vomit Boy’s record say?”

Caught up in the conversation, Noir pressed on. “What doesn’t it say? He passed through Mistral’s schooling with near straight-As, dominated the combat ring and was personally recommended by the tutors for an accelerated education here.”

Most people, when comparing the Jaune they knew to the Jaune Noir spoke of in the records, would have approached how they were not one and the same with subtlety and care.

“Are we talking about the same Jaune? Because that one sounds… moderately competent.”

Weiss was not most people. But, Noir conceded as he shrugged and let them talk among themselves, she did have a point.

But it would be something he could only look into when he got back into Beacon. Right now though, he had other matters on his mind. Both the matter of keeping these kids alive, and getting a personal errand out of the way.

* * *

 

An hour later, the Emerald Forest:

Noir had his helmet on for a variety of reasons. The primary one was because it enabled his motion-tracking software, allowing him to scan the surrounding area for movement. The second was a matter of protection- even with Aura, the skull and brain were fragile objects that needed protection.

But he had to admit, the helmet was also on so no one would see him gawk at the forest. Much of his world couldn’t compare to Forever Fall, barring maybe Venus and the Black Garden. It was… oddly beautiful, in a way that also made him think of more grisly matters like blood.

Noir snapped back to attention as the students scattered for… honestly, he had no idea. Professor Peach, whom he’d never even met, required the tree sapling for… actually, he doubted even Glynda knew that, judging by how she’d pointedly changed the topic every time he’d broached the subject on the Bullhead ride into the forest.

Glynda was recapping the goal of the students as Jaune ran into Cardin’s back. As NPR strolled off, Jaune left with CRDL, and Noir slid away as well. Glynda was keeping this area clear for when it was time to leave, and his job was to “Intervene and protect the students.”

But these kids were good at the whole Grimm killing thing. And Noir had better things to do than follow rules when he wasn’t getting a reward.

As such, the Hunter took off north, putting some distance from himself and the students before Ghost materialised.  

“So what’s the plan?” Ghost asked. “Just wander aimlessly?”

“Actually, I need you to do a topographical scan. Find me a canyon, or a crevasse. Some kind of giant hole that would be a pain in the ass to get to the bottom of.”

“One moment.” Ghost whirred as it ran the scan, widgets coming off the core of Light that made its being. “Found something. Marking it now.”

Noir nodded as a waypoint was marked on his HUD, trudging forward. Ghost floated by his shoulder.

“So how are you taking to this place?”

Noir tilted his head. “I’m liking it fine enough, but thank the Traveller for this field trip. I’ve needed to stretch my legs out for a few weeks now.”

“Would have thought that fighting CRDL would have been enough for you.”

“That?” The Hunter scoffed. “No offense, but taking on teenagers more focused on being pricks to people who are different from them wasn’t exactly my usual palette. Besides, it hasn’t even stopped them from what I hear.”

“Well, if you were expecting a fight to make them change their views on systemic racism, you may have been reaching a bit too far there. Or you should have told them that before shooting Cardin Winchester in the chest three times.”

“Technically nine. I hit him with a burst-fire pistol, remember?” Noir stretched out, a content sigh escaping his lips as he kept walking through the forest. “Seriously though, one more forced lecture from Port and I’d have brought a rifle to that class.”

“I think the students would enjoy that over his lectures.” Ghost drifted closer. “But as much as I enjoy watching you defy orders, you really should be watching those kids. Who knows what they’ll get caught up in before you get back from… wait, what are you dragging me out here for again?”

Noir’s tone soured. “I’m fulfilling a promise.”

“… Oh. Why not just melt it? Would’ve saved you the trip.”

“Can’t risk it. This thing was made with Hive magic. Magic that corrupted a Guardian. I can’t risk a single fragment of it corrupting a Huntsman. Hence, I’m gonna find a big hole in the ground, and I’m gonna throw it in there so no one ever finds it.” He shivered. “Just carrying that thing has me uneasy. Feel like someone’s constantly behind me, breathing on my neck.”

“Besides,” he noted after a silence descended on the two, “the irony of throwing Thorn into a dark hole that descends deeply into the earth given where I found it is just a little too much.”

After another several minutes of making their way through the forest, Noir and Ghost cleared the treeline, stepping up to the edge of a massive chasm. The two peered over the edge, Noir summoning Thorn.

The dark cannon felt heavy in his grip, and he glared down at the weapon. He doubted it was the original, but the Vanguard had been strongly hesitant when it came to letting replicants of the gun float around. Thorn had left a black mark on Guardian history, almost as much as its owner had. Noir himself had only come across the weapon by complete accident, a result of digging around in the Plaguelands; yet another collection of bad memories that came from that hellhole.

As such, he decided to do his own part in purging history.

“You’re a dark mirror of the man who held you,” he said softly to the weapon, “twisted and corrupted from a shining example of heroism into a violent ruination of innocents. Gods willing, no one will ever fire you again.”

Noir snapped the cannon open, emptying the ammunition onto the ground. Bracing his hand on the barrel and ignoring the spike that dug into his palm, he began bending, the slow screech of metal the only sound that echoed in the chasm for a short time until the barrel and handle were nearly perpendicular. He threw the twisted gun far into the canyon, turning before it was lost to the shadows beneath.

Noir stormed off, his step lighter than it had been when entering the forest. Surely, in the time he’d been gone, nothing bad could have happened, so no one would notice his departure.

* * *

 

At the same time:

“Oh,” Cardin chuckled low in his throat as he took in the purple stains on the front of his armour. “you’ve done it now.” 

Jaune gulped audibly.

* * *

 

The screams tipped Noir off that things had gone sideways. He’d made good time on the return trip, but evidently the creatures of Grimm knew when to strike just as he was getting bored.

He couldn’t help the grin that started to widen under his helmet. This was good. All was fine in the world; he’d gotten rid of Thorn, he was outside, and oh, look: monsters to kill by the truckload. Last Word in hand, his jog became a full on sprint as he charged through the trees, pulling up beside NPR and RWBY as Russel came the other way, running right into Yang.

“Ursa!” he gasped out, hands on his knees. “Tons of the bastards! Sky, Cardin and Dove told me to get more help.”

“Jaune!” Pyrrha said. Noir had already taken off from where Russel had been running, homing in on the explosive sounds of Cardin’s mace. And Russel was _not_ joking when it came to describing the amount of Grimm that charged to meet him.

He leapt into the air, firing into the swarm below as he landed on one of the Ursa. Spring-boarding off with a thruster-enabled jump, he pushed past, landing and resuming his sprint. Behind him, he heard the sounds of gunfire. They had this, he needed to regroup with the others.

 Sprinting past, occasionally firing when a Grimm got in his way, Noir made it to the clearing where the rest of CRDL were surrounded in a loose circle. Jaune looked about ready to throw up, but was standing straight and scoring the occasional kill when Cardin pushed a Grimm his way.

Noir danced forward, Ace of Spades and Last Word barking out challenges to any Grimm that came his way. The gunslinger showed no mercy or sloppiness in his work, each shot made to debilitate or kill where possible. When one of his cannons ran empty he threw it aside, the weapon dematerialising before being reformed from Light in his hand, freshly loaded.

“Never fear, your hero’s here!” His tone was jaunty, accompanied by a twirl of his cannon.

Cardin looked over his shoulder. “You’re… chipper, given we’re surrounded by Grimm.”

“You kidding me? Heh, this is the most fun I’ve had in weeks. Now, Cardin… shall we dance?”

Cardin tightened his grip on his mace, a feral grin breaking out. “Lets.”

Exchanging Ace of Spades for Raze-Lighter, Noir and Cardin leapt into the Ursa horde as one. Fire from both Light and Dust rang from their steel, the Hunter shielding himself in the flames as he span around with sword and gun while the Huntsman caused shockwaves to ripple from his weapon.

Sky and Dove covered their rear-guard, halberd and sword working to keep them from being overwhelmed. Jaune’s shield deflected the rare few strikes that bypassed the other four fighters. And judging by the steadily louder gunshots, more help was coming.

But for all their bravado, they were still only four… and Jaune, and the Grimm were many. Spinning around to slash a Beowulf across the nose, Noir grunted as he was sent flying from a swipe into his back from an Ursa. He caught himself, revolvers firing as he got back up, when something caught his eye.

Jaune was pinned under an Ursa’s claw, the bear-like entity roaring in his face. It pulled its head back for a bite before the top half of the skull exploded, a shotgun echoing over the other sounds of battle.

An armoured figure ran up, pumping their shotgun as they offered Jaune a hand to get back up. The armour was large, bordering on bulky, black with red highlights and a black sash tied around their waist. An angular helmet adorned with dotted lights betrayed no emotion as it observed the Grimm before them. Noir recognised the armour; he’d fought with it for years.

“Umbra?” His voice called over the din of battle. The Exo’s helmet turned to the Hunter.

“Noir? Why am I not surprised that I’m pulling you out of the deep end, even now?” The Titan cracked her neck, putting her shotgun away. “Just keep your head down, I’m gonna finish this.”

Noir visibly recoiled as he saw Umbra’s fists beginning to crackle with electricity. “Aw crap, get down!” He ran to Cardin, grabbing at his shoulders.

“Why?”

“Trust me, just drop and cover your ears!”

Noir threw himself to the ground, CRDL hesitantly following suit. Umbra leaped into the air, thrusters in her armour giving her extra height. The crackling energy from her hands accelerated across her entire body, shrouding her in energy. With a roar, she flew downwards, fists impacting into the ground. A bright flash of power overtook Noir’s vision, ears filled with the resounding boom of the explosion. His cape flew from the force of the blast, settling on his back as the shockwave died down.

The shockwave wasn’t the only thing to have died. Grimm bodies were laid everywhere in the clearing, fading away now that their spark of life was absent.

Noir shook his head slightly. “And they say Bladedancers are show-offs,” he muttered, walking over to the Titan as NPR and RWBY arrived.

Umbra was taking in the destruction she had brought on the clearing, nodding slightly in approval. “That could have gone very wrong had my Super not been charged.”

“Perish the thought,” the Hunter replied cockily. He pulled his helmet off, putting his hand on Umbra’s shoulder. “Glad you made it,” he muttered softly.

The Exo laid a hand over Noir’s. “Likewise.” She looked behind him. “You’ve certainly made friends.”

Noir put his helmet back on. “Heh, you could say that. I’ve a lot to explain, but the quick summary; if it’s black and red and spikey all over, shoot it good.”

“Words to live by,” Umbra’s dry humour had certainly survived the cross-dimensional trip, it seemed. “Anything else worth noting?”

“Nothing worth noting.” Noir was interrupted by Goodwitch strolling over to the Guardians, pointedly stepping around the dissolving Grimm piles.

“I admit to not being surprised that you make friends who have such… skill at demolition, mister Malphur,” the teacher said. “I imagine that you wish to bring this person along with us to Beacon?”

Noir shrugged. “If it ain’t too much trouble.”

Goodwitch nodded, turning her gaze to Umbra. “Welcome to Beacon…”

“Umbra,” the Titan finished Goodwitch’s sentence as she dematerialised her helmet, her Exo features plain to see.

Goodwitch blinked, the only indication of her surprise. “Well, that’s new. Ozpin will wish to speak with you.” She turned on her heel, returning to the students who were now looking at the walking and talking robot.

Umbra caught their gazes, yellow optics boring into Noir’s helmet. “Malphur?”

“Shut up, I needed a surname.” The Hunter rubbed the back of his head, shifting his gaze. “Can we just go before more of those things show up?”

Umbra shrugged, hefting Chaperone onto her shoulder. “Fine, wouldn’t mind seeing this whole new world. And what was that about mister Malphur?”

“… I might be a teacher at their school.”

“Oh. Well, I pity them sincerely.”

* * *

 

Several miles away, on a cliff overlooking Forever Fall, a figure peered into a scope. He frowned as one of the warriors that had defeated a horde of Grimm revealed themselves to be a mechanical construct.

“Well now. That’s just unfortunate.”

* * *

 

“… So yeah. Umbra’s like me, but even less fuzzy and warm inside- and no, not because she’s a robot. She’s just… kind of a hardass. Long story short, don’t screw with her and you’ll be fine.”

Noir awkwardly trailed off as the students, teacher and Guardians trekked back through the woods.

Nora turned on her heel in front of Noir, raising her hand expectantly. “I have a question.”

“Uh-huh?”

“She’s a robot.”

“A self-aware humanoid-war machine hybrid,” Umbra responded, “so yes. I am a robot.”

“That… is… awesome!” Nora darted over like a demented hummingbird to Umbra, showering the Exo in questions about their kind while Ren was left to quietly sigh and shoot Umbra a look that screamed “I am so sorry for my child’s behaviour.” Noir let himself trail behind, tuning out the sounds of people walking and talking and prioritizing the land around them. The sounds of trees shaking in the slight breeze, leaves pattering onto the ground like raindrops. No one seemed to notice him lagging behind as he saw… ah. He quietly drew his cannon.

Ahead, near the middle of the group, Ruby turned to Weiss. “So, how do you feel about this new person?”

Weiss shrugged. “I can admit when I’m wrong. A mechanical construct like that is… most certainly otherworldly. Atlas has forwarded robotic advancement significantly in the last several decades Ruby, but artificial intelligence is still years off. Umbra therefore is proof that Noir is certainly not from any known territories in Remnant… which, I therefore concede, is an indicator that he is indeed from another world.”

“You’re taking this pretty well.”

“You’d be surprised how much Atlas’ film industry has contributed to the science fiction genre, Ruby, and my status in the SDC made me the kind of heiress with no real power, yet people still craved me at their events. Suffice to say, I’m not lying when I say I’ve seen a _lot_ of bad science fiction in my time. I’m quietly ecstatic that this AI doesn’t seek to bomb us into the stone age.”

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but the only sound in the next few seconds was of a cannon firing and the yelp-turned-death-rattle of a Beowolf. Everyone turned, seeing Noir holding his smoking cannon as the Beowolf dissolved at his feet.

“We…” he trailed off, looking at Goodwitch as a swarm of red lights appeared behind him, “may want to start running.” 


	7. Huntress/Hunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Titan gets acquainted, an illusionist has a conversation, and a Hunter emulates a phoenix.

There wasn’t a gun barrel in the clearing that wasn’t smoking as the last echoes of the firefight that had just wracked Forever Fall faded into the skies above. Umbra fed her machine gun a new belt of ammunition, keeping an eye out for more red eyes and white spikes. Noir loaded his cannon smoothly, helmet turning as he covered her blind-spots.

The two Guardians had fallen into their old patterns and manoeuvres like veteran dance partners; Noir spinning and flitting with his twin cannons blazing, only pausing to take advantage of a Grimm not looking at him long enough to throw a grenade or knife their way. Umbra, meanwhile, was a stalwart rock in the storm, only moving to dodge an enemy’s strike. What with nearly everyone else flipping or spinning around, it stood out in its own way.

Noir shot Umbra a glance. “So, what do ya make of the local wildlife?”

“That whatever god this world pissed off to deserve it is a spiteful one and I’ll take our god any day.”

“You and me both,” the Hunter muttered back, “but we can talk about that more specifically later. For now, we need to move before more of those Grimm show up.” At Umbra’s curt nod, Noir stalked over to the blonde woman with the riding crop who had been flinging the creatures like she was the eye of a hurricane. The two exchanged words for the next few minutes- Umbra could have listened in but gave them their privacy- before they exchanged nods. Noir left soon after, stopping by some of the students (including the orange haired girl who had fawned over her upon learning of Umbra’s Exo heritage) and speaking with them for a short time. After they nodded and began to load their gear, he returned to Umbra.

“Hope you don’t mind fighting the Grimm some more. Goodwitch’s plan is for us to be our distractive selves and lure most of them away from the students as they make for an evac point. They fly out, and then they’ll send another ship to pick us up.”

“I’m guessing Transmat systems aren’t working then if we’re relying on someone else to fly us out of here.”

“Nail on the head. Sparrows still work at least, but the forest may be a bit small for it, but hope you didn’t leave anything valuable on your ship.”

“Nothing I can’t live without. Any ideas on distracting the Grimm?”

Noir shrugged. “Was just gonna blow up some stuff, wing it from there.”

“… So business as usual then?”

“Yep.”

Umbra’s hands flashed as she whipped out a large rocket launcher that was nearly as long as the towering Titan was tall. “… Yeah, I think I’m gonna like it here.”

“Well then, let’s make some noise.”

* * *

 

With Noir and Umbra staying behind to distract what few Grimm were left after the swarm had descended on them, the students and Goodwitch made their way back to the Bullheads in near record time. The pilots were quick in taking off with the military precision that had been drilled into them, meaning that they were in the skies within seconds of reaching the Bullheads.

Weiss caught herself looking out the window, almost imagining she could see the two fighters charging at the Grimm. She was broken out of her thoughts by Yang unceremoniously using her shoulder as a place to put her head as she stared out the window alongside the heiress.

“You think they’ll be alright?” Yang asked.

“They at least conduct themselves like professionals. I imagine they’ll be fine so long as they keep a cool head-”

Weiss was interrupted as a large explosion flared up, the plume of fire nearly reaching the height of the Bullheads.

Yang smirked. “You were saying?”

“Or they could just decide to level the entire forest. At least picking them up will be easy- we’ll just need to follow the flames.”

“And the screaming,” Yang added with a smirk, getting off of Weiss’s shoulder. She moved into the seat beside her, eyes running around the ship before stiffening.

“Weiss.”

“Yes Yang?”

“Where the hell is Ruby?”

Weiss turned around sharply, doing a quick headcount and indeed finding her partner absent from the ship. Several thoughts ran through her head in short order, only one reaching her lips as she sighed wearily.

“Oh, brothers damn it.”

* * *

 

A girl sat in one of the many trees of Forever Fall, dabbing at her brow with a rag as she watched the Bullheads take off. She exhaled, slumping as if she had just finished a great physical exertion. Which, in a way, she had. Tricking one person to see something was one thing. Tricking a dozen people to ignore another person, while also tricking said person into taking an entirely different path, was an entirely different thing. Far beyond the purview of an ordinary person.

But Emerald Sustrai was far from normal in any way, shape or form. She’d been tricking people to look the other way as long as she could remember. This had been a difficult misdirection, but far from impossible.

A slight whine sounded below her, and Emerald tilted her head, taking in her escort as he slid a blade out of a Beowulf that had been prowling below the tree. Dropping the body unceremoniously, he nimbly climbed up the tree, dangling a leg off the branch he sat down in. His armour, meticulously maintained and adorned with a cloak, with its dark greys, coppers and hints of silver and with no extraneous bits to get caught on things when in close-quarters combat, stood out in the red that seemed to colour everything in this forest. He pulled his helmet off, fixing Emerald with a sharp glance from his green eyes.

“Job done?”

“Yep,” she shrugged. “Not sure why you wanted that kid cut off from the rest of her friends, but she should be stumbling into some Grimm right about now.”

“It’s not what I wanted.” His gaze drifted, taking in the forest. “I’m merely a messenger.”

“For who? Cinder?”

The eyes were back on her. This close, the green almost seemed to glow softly in the half-darkness they sat in. “More a messenger for someone that even your master must bend the knee to.”

“She never mentioned anything about that.”

He shrugged apathetically. “To each their own. The man in the high tower will suspect regardless, but it’s likely to trick people into thinking she’s the true ringleader.”

He drifted off into silence, hands clasping across his stomach as his eyes flittered shut.  

“How do you know Cinder?” The question came out before she had time to think it over. Before she could rescind it, those eyes snapped open, examining her.

“Why do you care?” He didn’t seem intrigued, truly. More apathetically curious.

“First, because you just walked right in after that fiasco with the Fall Maiden. She trusts you and I want to know why. And second, I know smiles. I make people smile as I take their things right in front of them and make them wish me a good day. But those smiles are plastic, fake. Most of the time, when she smiles, it’s not out of genuine happiness. She’s like a cat that got milk, happy because she benefits from it. When she sees you… she smiles genuinely, only for a moment.” Emerald hesitated. “She sneers when she looks at Torchwick, she tolerates me and Mercury, but you? She genuinely likes you.”

He didn’t respond at first, simply staring ahead as though he hadn’t heard, hand running along his short beard. Finally, as Emerald prepared to just let the matter rest, he spoke up.

“I met her about fifteen years ago in a town near the Mistral border. I was turning in a bounty, a man who’d abused his children and ran when the law came coming. No one wanted to go out there because of the Grimm, so I went to fetch him and bring him back… after I extolled some frontier justice of my own. So there I am, walking in with a man half-dead and barely recognisable being dragged behind me, and what does she do? Go for my pocket.”

Emerald quirked an eyebrow, an amused huff of air escaping her lips. “She could have only been, what, nine or ten?”

“’bout that. She had a fire in her, even then. Most of the rest of the town averted their gaze or walked right by. None closed in, barring her.” He shrugged. “She nearly got away with it too. Step-mother caught her walking away and gave her a hiding after giving me my wallet back.”

She paused. “She never mentioned a step-mother.”

“Probably doesn’t like those times. After I dropped off the bounty and got my pay, I decided to keep an eye on her. Found her suffering quietly, just like the children of the man I’d just brought in.”

Emerald swallowed, exhaled. “Shit,” she muttered simply.

“The step mother had connections, was too important to be exiled or too good at striking to avoid bruises to get caught. So I found the girl and offered her a choice to leave with me. I promised her that she would never be the submissive again; that if she followed me I’d grant her power and the ability to inspire fear and loyalty in equal measure.” He looked at her again. “Evidently, it worked.”

Emerald shuddered at that. She started to argue with the sentence, but dropped it and kept quiet for a second. “And then?”

“She said yes, so I unlocked her Aura, gave her a matchbox and waited outside her house. We left that night.”

She stared blankly at the man again. “Shit,” she repeated.

“So that’s how I met her. I granted her every desire and gave her the means to make her mark on history. And I don’t regret it for a moment.” He rolled his neck. “We’re done here. The girl’s cut off and her weapon is ill-suited for Deathstalkers. We’d best be on the move.”

He made to slip back off the tree, but Emerald clasped his shoulder. “Wait. Cinder’s awful at pickpocketing. I tried to teach her but she never got it. You were lying.”

He smiled at that, green glinting in the light. “Because you’d tell someone you barely know your entire backstory if they asked nicely for it?”

He slid his shoulder free before falling out, hitting the ground whisper-silent. Emerald hesitated, then followed.

* * *

 

Ruby sighed, leaning against a tree. “Alright, I’m lost.”

Looking behind her, she groaned slightly as she saw her footprints becoming covered over by the leaves that fell from overhead. She stormed off in a random direction, muttering the whole time.

“I got lost in my thoughts for five stinkin’ minutes and everyone goes without me? How did they forget me?” She paused as she considered the question. “Right, Jaune suddenly gained a few levels in competence and then a time-travelling robot walked in with a shotgun and explode-y fists. I guess compared to that, I’m just a bunch of normal knees.”

She giggled as she considered this, kicking a loose pebble into a nearby cave as she walked by it. A chill went down her spine as the cave growled back, a series of red eyes lighting up behind her alongside some tell-tale chittering.

She turned on her heel, drawing Crescent Rose as the Deathstalker crawled out of the cave.

“Aw nuts.”

* * *

 

“You know, I think we expected the Grimm to be more spread out,” Noir noted dispassionately. Hands on his hips, he surveyed the freshly made crater that had been a result of the two Guardians sticking the vast majority of their grenades and rockets on a timer and luring the Grimm into a kill-zone. “but as it turns out they came as one big group like a bunch of idiots.”

 “Numbers are their strength, not intelligence.” Umbra propped her rifle on her shoulder as she walked up beside Noir. “It’s the Hive all over again.”

“We beat them easily enough. This shouldn’t be impossible either.”

The two Guardians turned and walked away, Umbra fixing Noir with a sideways glance. He turned his head, catching her eyes. “What?”

“So, this Beacon place. What’re they like?”

“Well, Port rambles on with no regard for getting stuff done, Oobleck is faster than Cayde when he’s running from Eris, Goodwitch is Ikora but perpetually pissed off at the world, and Ozpin is... easier to meet than to describe.”

“How is this place still running? You make it sound like a madhouse.”

“Because they’re a lot like the Vanguard. Alone, a bunch of lunatics you could barely trust to fix a lightbulb- except for Goodwitch. But put them together and give them a common purpose, in this case corralling a bunch of kids? Then magic happens.”

Umbra let out a low humming sound. “Guess it’s true that the more things change, the more they stay the same. What about the students? Seems they can look after themselves.”

“They’re pretty capable. Good people too, for the most part. I’d trust them, especially RWBY.”

“Ruby?”

“No, they name their teams after colours. It’s just coincidence that one of the members of RWBY is called Ruby. She’s nice enough-”

Noir was cut off by the loud retort of a rifle, accompanied by a pained, inhuman screech. “And speak of the devil. I know that rifle. Can you wrap up here? I’m faster on my own.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Noir nodded, bolting off in the direction the shots came from.

* * *

 

Crescent Rose was, in Ruby’s humble opinion, a masterpiece of engineering. A fluid combination of sniper rifle and scythe, Ruby had spent much of her life learning how to wield both weapons so that they could be combined into a singular tool of destruction. But no weapon could be made to combat every threat… unless you were Pyrrha Nikos, in which case you were a weapon made to combat every threat. For all the slashing and piercing her baby could do, Crescent Rose was worth little if Ruby couldn’t pierce the hide of the Grimm she was trying to vivisect.

Said Grimm in this case being a Deathstalker that was keeping her on the defensive for the past several minutes due to her scythe’s length. Her speed and Semblance gave her an edge, but all the Deathstalker would need was a single solid hit and-

The tail lashed out and Ruby was sent flying, Crescent Rose dropping from her hand as she was sent slamming into a tree. It bucked under her, and she hit the ground, a soft groan escaping her lips. If her Aura hadn’t been gone before then, it was definitely shattered now.

The Deathstalker chittered to itself, almost seeming to relish in the victory from the middle of the clearing. A series of shots slammed across its armoured chitin plates, Noir bursting through the treeline with his revolver, pouring fire into it as he pressed forward.

“Ruby, get out of here!” She shot him a look from the ground. “Don’t worry about me, you need to run!” He drew his blade and charged forward while wreathed in fire, but his strikes were about as effective as her own when it came to piercing the hide, and the Deathstalker whipped him back with a claw before turning to finish Ruby off.

The stinger plunged down. Ruby surprised herself in that moment; she’d wondered, once, years ago in a wagon, if she’d die with her eyes open. She had worried that she’d shrink away and close her eyes when the end came, but no; she faced the stinger head on.

But while the stinger did descend for a killing blow, it was not meant for her. A flash of blue light materialized Noir in front of her, sword mid-swing to deflect the attack. But the angle was bad; the sword skidded off the side of the Deathstalker’s stinger, running Noir through the chest.

He gasped, sword clattering to the ground as his right hand stiffened. Ruby let out a gasp of air herself, staring it muted awe as Noir was tossed to the side, hitting the ground and rolling onto his stomach before coming to an abrupt stop, his pistol slipping out of his hand.

The Deathstalker kept chittering to itself, not seeming to notice when Ruby picked up Crescent Rose and loaded in a Dust magazine, glaring silently at the Deathstalker as she did so before letting out a bloodcurdling scream and charged the damn thing.

* * *

 

Umbra had been running rather quickly after Noir when he dashed off after one of the students, but her pace only increased when Rothwild chimed in with the sound she never liked to hear over the radio.

“Guardian down!”

Her pauldrons began to fill with Light, and Umbra began to run through, not around, much of the obstacles in her way. Branches, the rare Grimm, even a capsized tree were all splintered and near disintegrated from her ceaseless charge through the woods.

She broke the trees, taking in the situation quickly. Noir was lying by a tree, a pool of blood rapidly expanding from a stab wound in his chest. His hand was scrambling desperately for his cannon, just out of his grasp. The giant scorpion- Deathstalker, she mentally remedied- had blood on its stinger. And the girl Noir had dashed over to help out was tearing into the thing like the Grim Reaper wearing a flower crown.

Noir had given Umbra a quick heads up that some people had Semblances- unique abilities that were similar to manifestations of Light. It seemed that miss Rose’s Semblance involved super-speed while leaving rose petals behind, as she was zooming around the Deathstalker, building up a gradual hurricane of rose petals due to her rotations being so fast. The Deathstalker was practically unable to react properly to the assault; when it plunged its stinger down where it thought Ruby was, it would always miss and receive new nicks and scars from the scythe blade and cannon of her rifle. Not many of the attacks seemed to be getting through due to the tough chitinous armour the Deathstalker possessed, but Rose seemed determined to kill the thing through death by a thousand cuts.

Movement caught Umbra’s eye. She turned her head, seeing Noir with cannon now in a shaking hand propped up on an elbow, Light beginning to pool around it. He only fired once, pouring all the Light he could into the single shot that penetrated straight through the chitin and out the other side. The Deathstalker screeched in pain as Noir slumped down again, Ghost manifesting above his head as it began the resurrection process. Ruby pressed the attack in the meantime, pouring fire and blade into the new wounds. Death by a thousand cuts, Umbra mused as she watched Ruby fight, was a concept much easier to practice when one had ludicrously enhanced speed.

The Deathstalker finally fell, Ruby dashed in a cloud of petals over to Noir before the beast had even begun disintegrating like the Grimm were want to do. Umbra moved up, her armour making stealth pointless, allowing Ruby to hear her coming up. Noir’s Ghost was saying something, and she caught the last half as she stood by the crouched Ruby.

“… bothered to tell you?”

“Tell me _what_?”

“This, well, may be easier to show instead of tell.” The Ghost drew itself up, widgets starting to spin as Noir’s body dematerialised. “Defying the laws of life and death in three, two, one…”

A flash of bright light that Umbra had seen before a thousand times that brought boots, legs, a torso, head and arms into being, and Noir was back on his feet, running a hand along his chest.

“I hate getting stabbed,” he muttered, before his eyes focused on the stunned Ruby. “Um… right. In my defence, you wouldn’t have believed me if I told you I could come back from the dead.”

Ruby blinked slowly. “I don’t believe it and I just saw it,” she said dumbly.

“I’d like to say, ‘stick around, I’ve got more tricks just like that,’ but you’ve kinda already seen a lot of my tricks.” The Hunter rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, fixing Ruby with a serious glance. “I told Yang Guardians don’t age, and killing people like me and Umbra? Well, I’m letting you in on a huge trade secret. So long as the little floating guy’s still alive, it can bring us back from anything. You’d be surprised how casual a lot of Guardians get about dying. For now, let’s just get you home.”

Noir walked away with no further preamble, helmet appearing on his head as he punched in a communications frequency, leaving Umbra and Ruby in front of the decayed Deathstalker corpse. “Can I ask you a question?” she said quietly.

The Exo fixed her a soft look. “Sure kid.”

“That’s… it’s the same Noir, right? I saw him _die_. You don’t come back from that, and yet…” she drew in a shuddering breath. “He’s right there. Talking, walking, joking like it never happened. How is he so OK with having just died?”

Umbra hesitated. “He’s the same person,” she started slowly, diplomatically. “same personality, same bad sense of humour, same lack of self-preservation and hot-headedness. He’s used to it because it happens a lot. The world we come from? I’m not sure how much he’s told you, but it’s not the nicest place in the cosmos. A lot of people want to see our races destroyed, so we have to learn how to fight fast or we’ll hurt others through our inexperience. Listen Ruby, he’s the same person. He’s a hot-head, but he’s one of the most reliable people I know. Come hell or high water, if he promises something, he’ll do it.”

Noir had finished talking a while ago, and waited for Umbra to finish before returning to her. “Bullhead’s on the way; turns out they noticed Ruby’s absence and were coming back anyway. We should be in Beacon within the hour.” He started to walk away before turning on his heel. “For the record, I blame Jaune for this entire fiasco.”

“Why?” Ruby frowned.

“If he hadn’t been trying to prove himself to Cardin, we’d have all been out of the forest long before those Grimm showed up, and we’d all be in Beacon right now.”

“But if that’s the case for your incredibly flawed logic,” Umbra noted, “Aren’t I to blame as well for arriving when I did?”

“Yeah, but I ain’t gonna blame you.”

“Why would that be?”

Noir shrugged. “I try to avoid ticking off people who can beat me. My ego can’t handle it.”

Umbra approximated letting out a bemused huff of air as a Bullhead crested over the treeline, landing a bit away from the erstwhile trio. Ruby’s team were first out, dashing over to their leader and smothering her in affection as they practically dragged her onto the ship. Noir followed silently behind, grasping at one of the handles as the doors closed behind Umbra and the ship took off.

“So,” Umbra murmured as she stood beside him, “how was your day?”

“Well, I developed cabin fever, tossed an eldritch abomination of a gun down the darkest chasm I could find, summarily found you, caused a small forest fire and, oh yeah, I died.” He shrugged. “Overall? Can’t complain.”

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence as the ship rose higher, the Forest being left behind like a distant memory.

* * *

 

Kingdom of Atlas:

The wind in this frozen wasteland howled like the spirits of the damned were still present, haunting any who walked in their shadow. Mounds of ice and snow made walking into this part of the nation difficult, but it was still the preferable option to taking a vehicle. The snow would catch in any engines and the terrain was too uneven for a land vehicle to operate efficiently.

She was used to the cold, though. While Atlas boasted some of the lowest temperatures on Remnant, her thick, padded clothing and scarlet coat left no skin exposed and kept the worst of the chill from her bones, while a featureless black helmet obscured her features. She padded silently among the large monoliths of ice and rock, avoiding the few Grimm that lived out this far north. She stopped at the crest of one such monolith, observing the area below as the wind nipped at her coat.

Sliding down the side of the rock, her eyes glanced upon a small opening at the bottom; an overhang had prevented the snow from reaching it, leaving several different footprints in the ground… and a large slump that looked like someone dragging themselves through the snow. In fact, several handprints confirmed the theory as she walked deeper in, drawing a rifle as she did so. A click enabled the flashlight, letting her see into the darkness of the cave.

Her boot splashed in a puddle, red bordering on black. Dried blood. Whoever had come through here had been wounded. She pressed on, running the light along the walls and seeing several handprints that left red stains in their wake.

Her progress was impeded by a wall of stalagmites and stalactites that had formed across the main path of this cave, the two formations uniting into several pillars likely centuries old. She ultimately didn’t need to destroy the pillars though, as a body lay in front of them, face down. The rifle was placed on a rock, illuminating the small room.

She moved closer, kneeling beside it before turning the corpse over as her brain began to run a mile a minute. Severe scarring and burns across the face, primarily centred on the left eye and right cheekbone, that ran along the collarbone and crossing around the left arm before looping back and running along the chest and leg. Multiple gunshot wounds in the torso that failed to hit vital organs, some not leaving exit wounds due to aura depletion not being able to repel them enough. One eye nearly entirely incinerated; a blank, milky white surface staring dead ahead. Even in death, her other eye was caught in its last moments in utter agony. Several slashing wounds along the back and knees, likely the primary source of blood loss.

She kept her hands from shaking as she took out her scroll and began taking pictures, one centred on the face and the other focused on the wounds. The scars on the face received particular attention. The pictures of the face were summarily uploaded to a database and compared to other faces on a list of young women living in the Atlas region.

An almost eerily cheerful ping rang out as a match was found. She took in the features on the small device passively. It said something dark about her that this wasn’t the first time she’d seen a smiling young women, ready to take the world on with a wink and a smile… before looking down at their flayed corpse.

She dialled a number, not bothering to account for time zones. He’d answer.

He always did, and this time proved to be no different.

She spoke without preamble. “I found her Ozpin. Ironwood was right; the Summer Maiden is dead. It was one of his kids from Atlas Academy.”

He sighed, the weary, tired breath carrying decades of pain. _“Then our mutual enemy found a way to make her pawn a knight after all. Thank you for this, I know it was out of your way.”_

“I was already in Atlas, this just kept me for a few weeks longer than expected. I’ll give her a burial, she deserves that at least. Might find her protector while I’m here, but the storm’s picking up. I’ll need to be out of here soon.”

_“My thanks. I appreciate the gesture. I’ll notify James, he’ll make sure you have a ticket for the next flight to Vale. We’ve had some developments here in the past few weeks that will be of particular interest to you.”_

She nodded curtly, cutting the transmission before standing up. She worked silently for an hour, channelling her power into clean, smooth cuts into the rocky ground. She put the body of the former Maiden in, saying last words that felt heavy in her tongue and left ash in her mouth, before pouring the rock and soil over the corpse. Some leftover gravel and ash was moulded with a flick of her wrist, leaving a cross. A simple one; a name and proclamation that this was a good soul who had fought with her last breath.

Thoughts consumed her for who knows how long as she stood there in silence, her trance broken only by a synthetic sounding cough that snapped her back to reality.

Sanguine Lachance turned, facing the teal drone that bobbed at head height. “We should get going,” Icarus suggested.

Sanguine nodded, grabbing her rifle. “I’m going to find who did this.”

“And then?”

“I will secure vengeance for those who have had it stripped from them.”

Sanguine walked out of the cave, making for the nearest way up and into the ice field.

She had a ship to catch.


	8. Chapter 8: Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein a Hunter gets rest, a Titan goes to the range, and a Warlock loses her luggage.

**One thing I'm wondering; would you guys prefer shorter chapters that I get out faster, or longer chapters that cover more ground, but take longer to get done as a necessity? I'm leaning towards the former, and aiming for a forty-five-hundred-word cap might work in the long run. It's just something I'll consider.**

**By the by, for the readers, I've been taking part in the RWBY June Art Challenge over on my AO3 account, where I've written a crap-load of short fics. If you're on Ao3… you can just click on my profile and read it now.**

**Anyway, on with the show.**

* * *

Beacon Academy:

Noir entered the cafeteria, eyes darting across the room before seeing the mop of blond hair he was looking for. Preamble left behind up, he unceremoniously strolled up to where JNPR were eating, coughing into his fist.

"Jaune, hey. Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

Arc looked like a dear caught in headlights. "Um, I have class soon…"

"Goodwitch, right?" Noir whipped his scroll, opening the messaging client.

_Noir M: Sorry to bother you, but I need to talk to Jaune for a few minutes. You mind him being late?_

_Glynda G: Very well. So long as he catches up on the notes._

Noir put his scroll away. "You're fine. Don't worry, this'll be quick."

Hesitantly, Jaune nodded, saying quick goodbyes to his team as he followed Noir up to an empty office on the ground floor of the dormitory building that Noir had effectively stolen.

To which Noir would reply; "The door was unlocked when I got there. The fact that any security footage that can confirm or deny this story has been deleted is pure happenstance."

The office was about the same size as the living room in the dorms, with a desk in the middle of the room accompanied by several chairs. A kitchen suite was in the back of the room, beside a sliding door that led to a small balcony. Several cardboard boxes were scattered across the room, in various states of unpacking.

Noir gestured to one of the chairs, sitting opposite Jaune. "Sorry about the mess, I'm still moving in here."

Jaune nodded. "It's, uh, a nice place."

"Beats the last room I had. At least I can actually lie on the beds this time."

Up close, Jaune noticed a few things he hadn't in the cafeteria- namely, that Noir looked exhausted. Dark circles ran under his bloodshot eyes, his stubble was building up and one of his hands had a tremor.

"Dude," Jaune leaned in, "you look awful. When was the last time you slept?"

Noir paused, looking at Jaune. "What day is it?"

"Friday?"

"I've been awake for over a hundred and sixty-eight hours." Noir listed off the number mechanically, like he was reading a serial number.

"What?! How are you still alive?"

Noir shrugged, like this wasn't a big deal. "I'm fine, don't worry. I have insomnia, Jaune. It'll pass and I'll crash sooner or later."

At Jaune's concerned look, he held up a hand. "I'm going into Vale tomorrow to get some sleep meds. Drugs don't work well on me, but I'll try. Now, let's stop talking about me." Noir pulled out a file, Jaune's picture on the front. "Instead, let's talk about you and your transcripts."

Jaune stiffened, eyes darting between Noir and the file. "Well, it's complicated-"

"Let me surmise it then. You paid someone to make you a fake transcript, and they bribed the teachers in your last school to let it by if we called on them. Now, I'm saying this in advance. You're not expelled."

Jaune released a pent-up breath he didn't know he had stored. "But, why?"

"Four reasons," Noir listed each off on his finger as he spoke, "One: Ozpin has no problem with it and doesn't seem interested in punishing you. Two: Beacon is hosting the Vytal Festival this year. We can't afford for it to be publicised that we didn't do a proper background check on a student before they got in. So, if you don't go running your mouth, we'll all be shiny happy people. Three, you're a team leader. If we get rid of you, the rest of JNPR will be thrown off its game. We can't have that. Tying into that, four. You're actually a good leader."

"Did you just compliment me?" Jaune mumbled, looking away as Noir shot him a sharp look.

"Since Forever Fall, you've handled your situation with CRDL quite well, given how the bullying incidents have dropped down." Noir paused to smirk. "Though that may also be attributed to someone anonymously telling them about CFVY and how overprotective they can be. I doubt CRDL will be a problem for you or miss Scarlatina anymore. Regardless, you have a good mind for tactical situations and you're learning your team's strengths and weaknesses."

"So…" Jaune paused. "What happens now?"

"Go back to the way things are and always have been. Keep training every night with Pyrrha, have your work in on time, that sort of stuff. You have to catch up Jaune. Might wanna get started. But again, you're not getting expelled, so long as you prove that you've earned your spot here. Speaking of…" Noir checked his scroll. "You may want to start running if you want to catch Goodwitch's class."

Jaune bolted out of the office so fast he nearly left a cartoon echo of himself. Noir chuckled, propping his feet on the desk.

Jaune was right, he could use a little shut-eye. Maybe this time, his dreams would work with him and let him get a few hours rest.

* * *

Noir came to a few hours later to a _lot_ of screaming. Grumbling, he got up, stretching out and enjoying the popping of joints. He poked his head out the door, seeing Weiss and Blake outside the elevator in the lobby, mid-argument. Yang and Ruby trailed behind, downcast.

He whistled, low, and Yang turned. "What's their problem?" He mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

"It's… complicated. It's about the White Fang." Yang paused. "You look awful. When was the last time you slept?"

"Ten seconds ago. I feel asleep right after Jaune left this place."

Yang blinked as the argument continued behind her. "That was nearly eleven hours ago."

"And I've a lot more to catch up on." Noir looked behind Yang's shoulder as Weiss got up in Blake's personal space. "Just, give it time, I guess? They'll tire themselves out sooner or-"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"

Everyone turned to Blake after her outburst, Weiss even recoiling as if struck.

Ghost flickered into view. "Called it."

"Not now," Noir hissed, nearly missing Blake streaking by everyone and bolting out of the building.

"Blake, wait!" Ruby called out, but the Faunus was already gone, fading into the night. The rest of RWBY ran after her, leaving Noir in the lobby, rubbing his eyes.

"What the hell just happened?" He muttered.

"Huh," someone said behind him. Noir turned to see Russel Thrush, about to step out the elevator. "I knew Belladonna was a Faunus-"

Russel let out a choking sound as he was slammed back into the elevator, Noir holding an elbow to his throat. "You so much as _think_ about telling any of your friends…" he snarled.

"Chill, chill!" Russel choked out, batting at Noir's elbow. He relented, letting Thrush slump to the floor. He picked himself up, feeling his throat. "I wasn't gonna tell anyone, I've known since the initiation!"

"Wait, how did you know? You've never talked to her!"

Russel looked flatly at Noir. "Dude," he said slowly, "the ears. They twitch."

Noir raised a hand to object the point, before nodding and silently shrugging. "You're taking this pretty well given how your team's opinions on Faunus."

"Cardin's the one with a hard-on for pissing off the other teams," Russel shrugged. "Fuck, I dated one for a few years."

"Then why help him bully Velvet?"

"Do you go against your team in public?" Russel hit the button for his floor. "That's the shit you deal with in private, where no one judges you."

Noir silently shrugged again, leaving the elevator before the doors sealed shut.

"I'm going back to bed," he mumbled, leaving the lobby. "This teen drama crap's exhausting to watch."

* * *

Saturday was usually a day wherein most people cooled their jets and remembered to relax, unwind, and take stock of the week that had just come and gone.

Most people were not Umbra-43. The Titan didn't really take days off, but instead just worked less actively on some days. One of the many perks of being a robot- you basically couldn't get tired. One of the many downsides of being a robot? You often had nothing to do because everyone was asleep. Umbra could normally account for Noir's insomnia to help with this, but he had finally crashed after a week of no sleep and had spent much of the last twenty-four hours recovering. Leaving Umbra with little to do but odd jobs.

Noir had offhandedly mentioned that Ruby Rose, the kid who got left behind in the forest, was a bit of a mechanical genius, and Umbra needed someone good with tools.

Ruby was sitting under a tree, talking with the blonde… Yang? Yeah, Yang. Regardless, Ruby was speaking quietly with Yang, concern etched on their faces. Umbra politely coughed to signify her presence.

She wasn't sure how many diplomatic incidents Noir had instigated in three months, so she was in full on damage control mode until proven otherwise.

Ruby noticed her first. "Hi… Umbra, right?"

"Yes. Good afternoon to you." She nodded curtly to Yang. "Miss Xiao-Long."

"Please, call me Yang."

"I'll remember to do that." Umbra turned back to Ruby. "I was wondering if I could ask for your help with something. Noir recommended you for if I needed help with mechanical matters."

Ruby looked reluctant as she turned to Yang. "I mean, I thought we were gonna…"

Yang held up a hand. "Let's give her a day, Ruby. If she's not back tomorrow, I'll happily take you out to Vale so we can find her. She's my partner, after all."

"I guess," Ruby mumbled, looking up at Umbra. "What do you need then?"

"I wouldn't wish to be any trouble, my issues can wait-"

"It's fine," Ruby interrupted. "I need to clear my head anyway."

"Then we'll need a workbench. Some tools, components… a rifle range?"

"We have a workshop with all that. I'll take you there."

Ruby got up, gesturing for Umbra to follow her. The Exo turned to Yang. "My apologies for interrupting you. Can I help with your issue?"

Yang waved her hand casually. "Nah, just team stuff. It'll solve itself. You have that problem? Team stuff?"

"All the time. Suffice to say, I'm not normally this polite around my teammates. I tend to… punch them."

Yang snickered. "Damn. I like you already. So, you like to punch stuff?"

Umbra let the Light flow into her fist, Arc energy crackling along the cybernetic knuckles. "You might say that my manners on the battlefield leave my enemies quite shocked." Umbra shrugged. "I also like making hammers out of fire and throwing them so hard they explode."

Yang let out a low whistle, smirking confidently at the Titan. "You taking applications? That stuff sounds right up my alley. And I'm a very… _quick_ learner."

"Sadly, the path of a Titan is a difficult one to replicate in these conditions. I'm also a little old for you."

Xiao-Long frowned. "What is it with you Guardians being too old for me?"

"I'm a cyborg, miss Xiao-Long. I've quite a few years on you."

"Then damn. I hope I look that good at a hundred."

"Yang, stop flirting with Umbra!" Ruby called out from the door to the workshop.

Yang sighed. "Fine, Rubes!" She fixed Umbra a look. "Talk later?"

Umbra nodded, walking over to Ruby, who led her into the workshop.

* * *

It was cavernous, vast. The workshop was much of the basement under the school building, several floors stacked with components, printers, ammo and ranges to test the new inventions on. The very bottom floor even had a wide, open space that could be used for an arena.

Ruby led Umbra to one such workbench near the back, looking expectantly at the Titan. "So then, what's your problem?"

Umbra materialized the weapon into her hand, if it could be called that. An old rifle, almost every part of it looked broken or decayed, cracks running along the length of the gun from the tip of the barrel to the length of the wooden stock.

Ruby appraised the weapon, frowning. "This is… I don't know if you can fix this."

"I was about to before…" Umbra gestured around her. "all this happened. It's a Khvostov, the 7G-0X model to be exact. It's one of the oldest rifles from my world."

"And you want to bring it back?" Ruby kept frowning. "I understand sentimentality, but you have to have better weapons…"

"Better at certain aspects, yes. But the strength of the Khvostov is its frame. I may have faster firing rifles, or harder hitting ones. But none are as versatile in combat as this little bird. You should never swap-weapons mid-fight; the more one gun can do, the more value it holds."

Umbra looked at the rifle, a memory coming unbidden to her of a dark tunnel after running down an abandoned highway. "Any maybe sentimentality plays a factor," she admitted quietly to herself.

Ruby nodded. "Alright then. We have different tech from your world, but fixing up a rifle should be universal." Ruby paused. "Or would it be multiversal? Because, wait, are you from an alternate universe, or a different timeline, or were you just put in a different part of the same galaxy…"

Umbra tilted her head. "I was going to say alternate universe, but given how we're both speaking English to each other… I'll have to consider it?"

"English? Don't you mean Vytalan?"

"We're getting side-tracked, and conversations about world-hopping tend to induce headaches. Trust me, I've been on both sides of this debate."

"Right. Gun. Fix. Can do!"

"If this helps, I have the manual for the rifle." Umbra pulled out a collection of old, worn pages that were frayed at the edges. "Wait, they're in Russian. Rothwild?"

The Titan's Ghost materialized, the red shell bobbing slightly. "Yes?"

"Could we get this translated into something miss Rose can read?"

"Certainly. One moment."

The workbench lit up, holographic panels activating and scrolling in text that moulded into a translation for Ruby.

She let out a low whistle as she read the manual. "You guys sure were thorough about maintaining your gear."

"We didn't have Aura. So, you can help me fix it?"

Ruby grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Let's get started."

* * *

Noir finally surfaced the next day, looking something approachable to alive and well. Freshly shaved, hair trimmed and slicked back, all he needed was a new pair of boots and he'd be ready to face the week.

Thus, he found himself sitting on a ship bound to Vale from Beacon, glowering at the intercom.

"Attention passengers, I'm afraid our flight has been redirected due to an inbound flight from Atlas. Please remain in your seats, we will arrive soon."

"I'm starting to see why people don't like Atlas," Ghost noted. "Also, your foot's tapping."

Noir looked down at his tapping foot, willing it to stop.

Team RWBY… or, in this case, Team RWY, were similarly agitated- Blake had yet to resurface, so they were going to hit the town. Evidently, without backup, judging by how Weiss had declined help when Noir offered it. That was fine, he'd learned his lesson from Velvet; he couldn't fight all their battles for them.

Worse, he couldn't even get a nap in to kill time; he had Light to burn, damnit.

Finally, the ship was allowed into a landing pad and the civilians poured out, RWY bolting off to make up for lost time. Noir strolled out of the ship, hands in his pockets. The crowd from Beacon merged with the travellers from the Atlas ship, with the tight hallway making it a bit of a… _squeeze…_

He bumped into someone, their case clattering to the ground and spilling out clothes and books. "Sorry," he mumbled, bending down to reorganise the case. The person's hand grabbed his wrist, forcing him to look up.

Clad in a scarlet longcoat tied off with a belt wrapped around the waist stood an armoured figure wearing a gunmetal grey helmet with black highlights. The helmet dematerialised, and Noir's heart caught in his throat as he took in the smooth features, angled hair and yellow eyes of someone he knew intimately well.

"You're fine Noir," Sanguine smiled at him. "You're fine."

* * *

They found a small café in the Arrivals lounge where they could sit in the corner with some cups of tea as Noir rapid-fire explained what he'd gotten up to since arriving. Noir kept blinking, as if Sanguine was going to vanish any second now.

"So… how long have you been here?" He finally asked, absentmindedly stirring the tea in front of him with his finger.

"About… nine months or so now? I've been keeping myself busy."

"Nine months?" That got the Hunter's attention. "How did you show up so far ahead of me and Umbra?"

"I had a theory about that," Sanguine began, cut off by Noir trying to hide a groan. She frowned at him.

"No, no, go on," he said feebly, waving his non-stirring hand. "Just… don't break out a whiteboard or anything, keep it simple?"

The Warlock nodded. "Essentially, time was subject to a dilution through that Vex portal. What was a few seconds on Venus translated to several days, or even weeks and months here on Remnant. I went in some time ahead of you, so I naturally arrived much sooner than you or Umbra."

Noir nodded. "I'm keeping up so far," he admitted. "So that's your theory?"

Sanguine nodded again. "Pretty much."

"That makes… a disturbing amount of sense. I just expect more complications when the Vex get involved. What about getting home, your brain come up with any theories?"

Sanguine hesitated. "A few. Nothing good."

Noir sighed. "Figured as much."

"World-hopping like what we did isn't easy. It's only because of our Guardian physiology that we weren't torn across reality. Were anyone else to do it, that would be it for them. Subsequently, no one would have the technology aside from the Vex; and I think we'd know by now if they had a presence on Remnant. Our only real hope is that the Vanguard sends a team that way, finds the portal and a way to stabilize it so we can go home."

Noir stared into his drink. "What you're basically saying is we're stuck here unless the Traveller shows up and ushers them into the Golden Age," he eventually muttered.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, we all agreed to that mission. Besides, if the Traveller showed up in this world, it'd just mean that the Darkness would follow it. And this place has enough problems."

"I can drink to that," Sanguine muttered, before perking up. Speaking of things to drink to, you're a teacher at Beacon?"

Noir sighed wearily. "I'm not too bad! Don't have a class yet, but I solve problems. Often by shooting them. They're mostly good kids Sanguine, got good heads on their shoulders. They don't do reckless crap, they're… marginally sane."

* * *

It was this exact moment that Ruby was getting blown off a rooftop by Roman Torchwick while Blake was fighting off a swarm of White Fang.

* * *

"I have to wonder what Oz was thinking," Sanguine mumbled.

Noir froze. "You know Ozpin?"

Sanguine blinked. "Um… you could say that."

"Then why haven't you been at Beacon? Why didn't Ozpin tell me he knew you?"

"Because what I'm doing for Ozpin is… off the books. The less people that know what I do for him, the better. Besides, he probably wanted to confirm I knew you before trusting you with my location. I'd tell you what he's had me doing, but I can't risk prying eyes finding out. I'll just say that I'm acting as a protector for someone very important to Ozpin."

"Huh." Noir drained his cup. "So, where do I sign?"

"Wait, what?"

"Well, I mean, we're a team, San. And Umbra will back me up on this. One for all, all for one, you know? We're all stuck here, so no sense not working together when we can."

Sanguine hesitated. "I get you. I guess… we can talk to Ozpin about it. I need to file a report with him anyway."

Noir got up, tossing some lien on the table. "Lead the way, I just gotta make a call first. Just gotta check up on the kids, see how their search is going." He let out a grin as he left the café. "Fireteam Chrome is back, baby!"

Pulling out his scroll as he went outside with a blushing Sanguine, Noir leaned over a railing overlooking the Arrivals Lounge, punching in Ruby's number.

She eventually answered. _"Oh, hey, Noir! Um, it's kind of a bad time-"_

"I'll be quick, don't worry. You find Blake?" He paused. "Wait a minute, are you bleeding from your head?"

" _It's nothing major, just bumped it! And yeah, we found her! We're just at the docks now. Listen, I'm sorry, but I really do need to go-"_

Ruby was cut off by some blond guy with a hatred for buttoned up shirts running up to her. _"Come on Ruby, the cops are on the way! Wait, are you talking to someone?"_

An explosion sounded in the background. The blond winced. _"Hope the White Fang didn't need that Dust,"_ he joked weakly.

"Um, listen, I can call you back-"

" _This is the police! Put your hands in the air and drop your weapons!"_

"… Yeah, I'm thinking we can talk later. See you around Ruby, tell Blake I say hi!" Noir quickly hung up, turning to see a smirking Sanguine.

"What was it you said about them again? 'Got good heads on their shoulders?'"

Noir sighed. "I can be wrong, I have no problem admitting it. But we might wanna go in case the police traced that call."

* * *

The elevator chimed open, Sanguine, Umbra and Noir walking into Ozpin's office. The principal raised an eyebrow as the Guardians walked in, putting down his tablet. "Ah, Sanguine. Glad to see you." He turned his attention to the other two people in the room. "I would assume there's a reason for the unexpected request for a meeting?"

"I'm wondering that myself," Umbra muttered.

"It's a long story," Noir drawled.

"I'll take your word for it." Ozpin turned his focus to Sanguine. "Anything else to report?"

Sanguine's eyes darted over to Noir for a second, before hardening. "I wasn't able to find the protector before I had to get back to the settlement. No problems on the flight. I'd have been back sooner but I got side-tracked. I didn't tell Noir much in public, just in case _she_ had eyes and ears anywhere."

Noir and Umbra shared a look, both seeming to agree to remain silent for now and let events play out.

"A wise decision. It seems that now _I_ owe _you_ an explanation, mister Malphur."

Noir shrugged. "I've been honest with you about myself every time you've asked. Not very fond of how that wasn't returned and you didn't tell me you knew my teammate was active, but I can live with that, so long as I get an explanation for why. I'm sure you had your reasons."

Ozpin took out his scroll, activating it. "Could you come up to my office for a few moments? Thank you." Putting it away, Ozpin fixed Noir with a look. "You are correct, I had my reasons for withholding that information. Chief among which being that I needed to confirm you were who you said you were. Miss Lachance's trust of you confirms that, so I will be candid with you."

"Lachance?" Umbra muttered.

"Shut up, I needed a surname," Sanguine retorted.

He got up from his desk, walking around to the front of it. "I am the leader of a clandestine organisation devoted to maintaining the secret of a power that has been active in Remnant for centuries. We seek to masquerade its existence so that nefarious elements cannot gain that power and subsequently abuse it for their own ends."

"And, Sanguine is one such member of this group?" Umbra asked.

"Yes," Ozpin replied, "though, she almost literally fell into the job upon her arrival. She can tell you that particular story later. Would I be correct in assuming you wish to join her?"

Umbra nodded. "I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving Sanguine alone to deal with whatever problems she's got herself caught up in. Besides, Guardians tend to be magnets for danger and excitement, so this was happening anyway."

"What Umbra said," Noir added, "we're a team. Sounds sappy, but where she goes, I go."

Ozpin smirked a little. "Having three nigh-immortals is quite the trump card. I thank you in advance for this choice. Now, she should be arriving right about…"

The elevator opened again, and a woman walked out. White blouse with a brown waistcoat, dark trousers and bright boots. Dark hair that was swept back, exposing a pair of amber eyes.

She smiled as she saw Sanguine, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey San," she said simply, Sanguine nodding in response. Her demeanour changed as she took in Noir and Umbra. "Oz. Guessing those are the complications you mentioned?"

"Among other, more recent events," Ozpin replied. "Noir Malphur and Umbra, I'd like you to meet Amber Lane. The Fall Maiden. Amber, meet some of Sanguine's allies. You should be getting to know each other soon enough."

Noir frowned. "Wait, Fall _what_?"

Ozpin nodded. "I expected as much, you two may want to sit down." He himself did so, clasping his hands and looking at Noir and Umbra over them. "Now, if I may… what's your favourite fairytale?"

* * *

**Well, that's done. Wound up skipping a prompt for the Art Challenge to get this finished, but I wasn't feeling up for that kind of story today.**

**So, this actually didn't take too long! I guess that Art Challenge is inspiring me to get my ass in gear and write faster. And I like most of what I've written for it… barring two particular stories which were just awful; one's so bad I'm gonna go back after the challenge wraps up and redo it.**

**But yeah, Volume 1 is finished. And thank Christ for that. This set of chapters was largely set-up for the future; getting the board set for a game, so to speak. Come Volume 2? Well, things are gonna get a little more divergent. A little, mind; what butterfly effects there are in this story will be mostly realistic, I'm not gonna be changing things too drastically if I can't justify it. After all, for how badass the Guardians are… they're only three people. Three people who can do a lot, but can't change everything for the better.**

**Amber's surname, BTW, is something I made up. There's a specific reason I chose it (Lane is Irish for warrior, BTW), but that's for next time.**

**Thank you for reading, hoped you enjoyed it, tell me why if you didn't. Now, one little teaser for the next time…**

* * *

Vale, Docks District:

On a nondescript night, in a nondescript warehouse, on a nondescript street, in a nondescript district, a man in a cloak watched as several crates were unloaded by men and woman in white masks. Another man, red hair and dressed in a white coat, watched with him.

"Regardless," the man in the cloak said calmly, "this loss is notable, but not a severe hindrance. I'll talk to Cinder, recommend that she let you loosen up your grip on the Dust stores."

Roman bit at a cigar, wincing as he felt his ribs ache. "Mind telling her to get me some good goons? These chumps barely even distracted those kids."

"Said 'kids' are Huntsmen in training. We don't expect the White Fang to put up a significant challenge to the students, they're a mere distraction. Don't worry about the Dust, I'll be securing a fresh batch in the coming weeks. Should make up for what Adam's pet cost us today. And as for help, that problem will solve itself soon. I'm putting together a team for an infiltration job. Do you have anyone who could fit in at Beacon?"

"I may have someone for that. I'll get back to you. And your Dust had better make up for the Docks, or I'll have words with Taurus."

"We will both. If he can't keep his old pets on a leash, he can be easily removed from power."

A twinge in the back of his mind, whispers and green smoke. What could- _ah._ That was something. He smiled, shuddered.

"Roman, I need a ship. I'll be back before sunrise."

Torchwick frowned. "Why?"

"Just trust me. Let's just say I'm consolidating some power."

Roman grumbled under his breath, but ultimately nodded his consent. "Just bring the ship back in one piece."

He nodded, slipping out the back and climbing into the first Bullhead he saw. From that nondescript warehouse, a deliberately bland ship rose and flew away into the night sky.

* * *

 

It was an hour and a half before he landed, the whispers growing steadily louder as they seemed to guide him to a large crevasse that went down for miles.

"Of course it wouldn't be easy," he murmured softly, backing up and putting on his helmet. He steadied himself with deep breaths, eyes narrowed, before taking off into a run, leaping off the ledge and descending into the depths below. His Semblance kicked in, making his cloak seem to elongate as it picked up trails from the shadows that he fell through. The trails joined together, uniting around him as a cocoon of shadow.

He hit the ground, the cocoon dissipating as it absorbed the impact of the fall. He was suited to the dark, but he was still glad his helmet had a night vision mode. The pale, sickly green light illuminated his path as he walked along the bottom of the crevasse. Finally, after a period of walking interrupted only by needing to go around the larger rocks at the bottom, he found his prize. A revolver, neatly snapped in half at the chamber.

He knew this weapon. He had once held it himself, after all.

He picked it up, holding both sides tenderly like a new-born babe. In the pale moonlight, he could see no vestige of the rose it had once been. Now, there was only thorns.


	9. Chapter 8.5: Bars and Bards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Cinder meets an associate, and Zwei becomes lord of the dance.

 

he tavern was occupied to about half-capacity as Cinder led her little posse in. The booths were mostly empty, most of the crowds gathered around open tables in the middle of the room, while the bar itself was occupied by the sort that couldn’t bear to be far away from their coveted narcotics. A band was playing, a soft guitar wafting through the space. This was far from Cinder’s usual choice of places to drink, but a message had come through on a scroll that only three people in the world knew of; herself, Salem, and the man she was looking for today. If he wanted to talk, she would damn well walk across the Vacuo deserts to meet him.

Mercury winced as they sat down in a corner booth- his legs had taken a beating in the fight and it hadn’t been long since he had gained them. Marcus Black’s final gift had necessitated that Mercury lose his legs below the knee before Mercury had put a bullet in the back of his skull. His nerves were still frayed and he would likely suffer from phantom pains for the next few years, but this was all irrelevant to Cinder. Mercury could fight, and would fight, at her beck and call. His own vices and pains were otherwise not her problem unless they began to interfere with the plan.

And Emerald? She’d been travelling with Cinder for two weeks and already Cinder had the little girl wrapped around her finger. She’d follow like a loyal dog, and if she stepped out of line, would be corrected in short measure.

Eventually, she strolled up to the bar to order some drinks, her gaze shifted to the booth diagonally opposite from where Emerald and Mercury were. One of the few occupied booths, it had Dredgen sitting in it, contemplating a glass. His armour fit in well here, making him look like a Huntsman from Atlas- smooth, practical gunmetal grey armour over the chest, the legs having patterned metal along the front. He had a helmet beside him on the table, lying atop a neatly folded green cape. Slicked back dark hair accompanied startlingly green irises, almost seeming to pulse in the sockets. Beside the cape was a gun- a revolver, sleek and dark black, with spikes adorning the sides facing the front of the weapon. He took a drink, reaching for the gun and sliding it into a holster beside him as he poured more liquid into the glass. As he did, three people came up, two men and a woman. Cinder felt her lips curl in disgust, but listened in. He’d be able to handle it, so she decided to enjoy the show.

One of them stepped in front of the others. “Can I see what ya got there?” The man sitting down seemed to ignore them, looking deeply into the glass and tilting the liquid back and forth.

“Your cannon. Can I see it?” The leader came in closer, the other two goons taking places to the left and right of the entryways to the booth. At this, the drinker put his glass down, looking across at the leader. His eyes were a pale green, almost seeming to… flicker, in and out of the iris.

“I know you?” His accent wasn’t from around here, soft and clipped.

“Not that I could say.”

“And you wanna hold my piece.” A hint of something came into his voice. One could construe it as wryness, but Cinder heard something under it. Malice. She smirked, leaning against the bar.

“Just that I never…” the leader stopped, as if searching for the words. “… seen one like it. What’s your name?”

Dredgen seemed to smirk. “No, you haven’t. Yor.”

“Looks… _dangerous_ , Yor.”

“Seems, maybe, that’s the point.” Something passed through his eyes- like he was recollecting an old memory- but only for a moment before his gaze hardened.

“Suppose so.” The leader nodded in agreement. “Can I _see_ it?”

“Not likely.” The man reached for his glass again.

“Where’d you find it?” As Dredgen took a long sip from the glass, the leader tensed up. “You hearin’ me?”

The second interloper, the one sitting to the left stepped in. “He asked you a question-”

“Didn’t find it. Made it.” The look of recollection resumed, and he put his glass back down.

The second let out a bemused breath. “Heh. Helluva touch you got then. You a 'smith?”

Yor leaned back in his seat, catching Cinder’s eye as he smiled, noticing her. “I _look_ like a smith?”

Cinder raised an eyebrow. “Looks can be deceiving.”

His gaze returned to the leader of the trio in front of him. His eyes raked up and down the slovenly dressed man. Cinder saw a gun in his back pocket, the handle sticking out. _Bandit, most likely- too poorly dressed to be a guard, too few weapons and too little Aura to be a Huntsman, too proud of himself to do menial labour._ She scoffed inwardly at the poor management of his weapon, its positioning making a quick draw impossible. Dredgen spoke finally. “Got that right.”

The second bandit tensed up alongside his boss. “There a problem?”

The not-smith shook his head politely. “Doesn’t need to be.”

The leader nodded. “Glad we got that cleared up. Now… about that piece.”

“Ever been to Luna?” Dredgen interrupted suddenly, looking intently into the eyes of the trio around him.

“Excuse me?”

“The Moon.” His tone became notably drier. “You been?”

The leader scoffed, leaning back. “No one’s been.”

“That a truth?”

“A _fact._ ”

Dredgen smiled. “Funny you’d make that distinction.”

The leader snarled, leaning over Dredgen. “Truth is you must think you're some kinda something special. With that attitude. The way you're just dismissin' us like we're nothing...like we ain't even here.” He scoffed.

“Fact is...You ain't near as rock solid as you figure. Fact is, special's only special 'til it's not.”

A lengthy silence issued, Dredgen seeming to mull over the words. “Bones say otherwise.”

The leader sniffed. “Speak straight.”

“He said ‘nobody.’ Bones say otherwise.”

The third bandit, a woman with close-cropped blonde hair, leaned forward. “What bones?”

“All of them.” As if that answered the question succinctly.

She pressed on, the other two letting her talk. “What’re you getting at?”

“Too many to count.”

“You tryin’ to get a rile out of us?” The woman’s eyes narrowed. “Was only tryin’ to make conversation.

Dredgen let out a small chuckle, catching himself. “You really weren’t.”

The bandit smiled in response, looking at her compatriots. “We got a smart one here.”

Dredgen interjected. “Experienced, more than smart. But experience has its… advantages, lets you see your enemies clear as day so you can face them.” He shook his head. "To rend one's enemies is to see them not as equals, but objects- hollow of spirit and meaning.” He spoke like he was quoting someone else.

She looked back at him. “Experience tell you to lip off to strangers just tryin’ to make talk?”

“Keep insisting,” Dredgen’s eyes narrowed as his voice lowered, the fragmented green sticking out against his skin. “And maybe we will.”

“Talk?”

“Have _words_.”

“Ain’t that what we’re doing?”

“My conversations tend to be a bit… _louder_.”

Cinder’s breath hitched and her smile widened. The way he emphasized that last word spoke wonders. The malice she saw earlier had edged in fully now, and he was partially coiled like a serpent ready to strike.

Silence ensued between the bandits engaged in conversation and their observer. The female bandit tilted her head. “That a threat?”

“A truth.”

She bared her teeth at him. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“According to your facts,” he snapped. “Nobody. And here I sit.”

She scoffed. “Don't matter much how pretty yer cannon is. You keep it up, we'll see just how loud you like to get.” Yor seemed to exhale at this, as if holding in a breath for longer than he should have. He slumped in his seat, staring back into his drink as he refilled it.

“You done talking now?” She pressed on, voice growing louder. “Guess he knows his place boys.”

“Ever have a nightmare?” His voice was quiet. Cinder leaned in instinctively. She noted offhandedly that Emerald and Mercury had moved up beside her, watching the conversation raptly.

The other underling to the leader smiled at the other two bandits. “You playing games? Or you just thick?”

“I know you do,” he pressed. “This world? Can’t help, but to.”

“I don’t have nightmares,” the leader bragged. He grabbed Dredgen’s bottle and took a swig, ignoring the glare. “I give ‘em.”

Dredgen laughed, harshly. It was devoid of mirth and joy, leaving it sounding more like a rattle of his throat than a laugh. “You are a goddamn cliché. The picture-perfect bandit.”

He pressed on, his voice steadily becoming lower. “Hearing your voice - the things you're saying, the shade of the hard man you pretend to be-”

“I ain’t no shade!” The leader slammed his hands down on Yor’s table, the movement letting him slide his hands underneath.

His first shot slammed up through the table, catching the leader through one of his lungs and sliding past what little Aura the man had. Before Emerald could even flinch or shout in horror, Yor’s gun arm was raised above the table, firing twice more into the throats of the other two bandits. The bodies hit the ground, spikes jutting out of their throats and the music cut out. People started to scream, rushing out the door or under tables. The leader started choking, trying to scramble to his feet to make a break for the door. Yor casually followed him, nodding at Cinder and her posse, until the leader nearly fell over a pool table, before grabbing him.

“Sit down.” The leader tried to break free, but Dredgen backhanded him with his cannon, drawing blood. He threw him down at the edge of the table. “Sit. _Down_.”

“Wait,” Cinder murmured to Emerald and Mercury, both with their weapons ready. “Watch how this plays out.”

Yor was granted a wide area by the townspeople streaming out, letting him back up a few steps, gaze never leaving the bandit. “Your mouth just got your friends dead.” He leaned in closer, looming over the wounded man. “This is what happens when you _bore_ me.” His tone was repressed, hiding raw, animalistic rage within. “And right now?” She could imagine the grin stretching across his face. “I’m so _very_ bored.”

“Wha… wha…” Yor shushed quietly, but the leader kept talking. “But...but...you're a... you’re one of them...A Huntsman, or a Specialist, right?” He tilted his head. “You’re supposed to be one of the good ones.”

“’Supposed to be?’ Maybe I am.” He stretched his arms out wide. “Maybe this is what good looks like. Anymore,” he said quietly, almost whispering. “Who can tell?” He lowered his arm, cannon held loosely by his side.

“I… please…”

“You wanted to see my prize.”

“No… I…”

“Look at it.”

“I… I…” He started whimpering, eyes brimming with tears. Cinder resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Yor’s tone became cold, uncaring and mocking. “Whimpering won’t stop what comes next. Look at it.” The man’s eyes closed, tears falling through. “Open your eyes.”

They slowly cracked open, seeing the cannon inches away from his face.

“Not many get to see such a clean view,” Yor noted, as if teaching a child. The man started crying again. “The bone, you see it. Jagged, like thorns. I used to think of it as a rose… focused on its bloom. But that bloom is just a by-product of its anger.” He trailed off.

“You have nightmares?” He asked again suddenly. The sobbing began to grow in desperation. “Ever seen a nightmare? Ever opened your eyes and realized the horror wasn't a dream? The terror wasn't gone?”

“I’ve seen nightmares.” His voice dipped low, sounded more like he was talking to himself now and that the other patrons didn’t matter in this lecture. “They live in the shadows. They've been watching. I thought...It's foolish, I know...but I thought I saw a way. That maybe we could win. Maybe we could survive. But once you step into those shadows, it's so very hard to walk in the Light.”

The gun wavered. Cinder caught his specific pronunciation of “light.” She had heard that tone before- when he slipped up and referred to more of his past than he was comfortable with.

“Or…” Yor exhaled, his head dipping down into the cloth surrounding his neck. “Maybe I just wasn’t strong enough.” He raised his head, and the gun stopped shaking. “But I feel strong now.” The sobbing continued, and Dredgen looked at his gun.

“I stole the Dark,” Dredgen continued. “Or… maybe it stole me and threw me away to this corner of the world. Either way… here we are. And I’m hungry. It’s… hungry.” The bandit’s eyes widened before closing rapidly, his breathing becoming rapid and shrill.

Yor crouched down beside the man, staring at him through a tilted head. “You have nothing to you beyond the spark of your pathetic life. But a spark… is enough.” He stood back up, levelling the cannon to the leader’s head.

“Open… your eyes.” The sobbing continued, eyes cracking open a notch to look at Yor.

Cinder didn’t flinch as he fired, sipping her drink as the crowd began screaming again. She put it on the table behind her, ignoring Emerald’s pale complexion and shivering as Yor strolled past them back to his seat, resuming his drink. Emerald saw her expression.

“You can’t be thinking of recruiting him…” she whispered.

Cinder smiled. “Why do you think we came out this way? But no, he’s been a part of this plan for a long time.” When Emerald opened her mouth again, she darted a hand out, shutting the green-haired girl’s mouth. “And I won’t hear a world otherwise. You’re not paid to think, you’re paid to obey. So, obey this order: don’t get in the way.” Emerald nodded, the resistance leaving her eyes as they glazed over, and the clasp on her mouth became a gentle stroke on the cheek. “Good girl,” Cinder cooed.

She left Mercury and Emerald behind, Mercury raising an eyebrow at Cinder’s behaviour while Emerald shuddered, walking up to the table and sitting opposite Dredgen. He looked at her from over the edge of his glass. He seemed, Cinder noticed, to be weightless – effortless in an existence that would crush a man burdened by conscience “You got my message then, child.”  

Her hand met his, under the table. Cinder presented him with a rare genuine smile. “It’s been a while. You’re looking well.”

Dredgen’s gaze travelled over Mercury and Emerald, finally taking in Cinder as well. “Better than you, I’d wager. I expected the new Fall Maiden to… well, radiate power.”

“There was… a complication,” she conceded reluctantly, “an unexpected ally for Fall.”

“We prepared for Branwen-”

“Not him.” She fixed him with a hard gaze. “Someone from _your_ side. Which I would have appreciated more of a warning about.”

“Ah,” he said simply as his eyes darkened. “That is a complication, and one that, let’s be honest, I don’t think any of us could have expected. Luckily, I can help you salvage your plan.”

“Do tell.” Her eyes glittered. 

“I know where the Summer Maiden will be in three weeks, and I know how to hide our actions from the authorities for long enough that they won’t know she’s gone dark for a half-year if we’re lucky.”

Another genuine smile graced Cinder’s face. “What would I do without you?”

“You’d adapt and survive, carve your name into history regardless. Even if I hadn’t raised you, you’d have found a way into this life regardless. Is your team ready to move?”

“We just got off the road. I can keep going, but they…”

Dredgen shrugged. “Another day won’t be the end of the world, and they deserved it if they fought a Maiden and lived. We’ll make up for any time lost here when we get back to Atlas.”  

* * *

**If you've read Thorn 2, this will be familiar, because I'm a hack. Truth told, this wasn't meant to see the light of day, since I just wrote it when I was bored and killing time back in April, then I retrofitted it for the RWBY Art Challenge.**

**This next one though, is set in between volumes 2 and 3, and was an idea I'd wanted to do for a while.**

* * *

 

Vale/Vacuo border:

Teams RWBY and CFVY, along with several assorted glorified helper-monkeys, prepared for war on top of a large tower. Five pylons stood out in a pentagram shape, golden energy coiling around them. It resembled a bunch of spheres in a way.

Coco checked her scroll.  "Showtime, misfits!" A beeping started to sound, accelerating in pitch. "Won't be long now before that Grimm scales the tower." 

"Which will be its loss," Weiss replied tersely, loading Dust into Myrtenaster's revolving chamber. Sheathing it, she pulled out a small pistol, loading it and checking the slide before nodding approvingly. 

A disapproving sound came from behind the heiress, and she turned to see Noir Malphur, the Hunter twirling a revolver as he poked at some wires with Ruby. "I thought your thing was just swords?" He asked. "Now you're doing the whole sword and gun thing. I mean, it's a popular style, but I feel like you're kind of cribbing me here." 

"We've been hired to stop a Grimm the size of a small building from destroying these solar converters," Blake deadpanned, "And Weiss is going to stop it with a sword?" She paused. "And I've been doing the sword and gun thing for years. If anything, _you're_ ripping _me_ off..." 

As Blake and Noir got into an argument, Coco looked over at her gentle giant of a teammate. "Hey Yatsu, what's the deal? You're not wearing that grapple set." 

All of the students were adorned with a chest piece that had several grappling hooks tied to it- even the more agile ones such as Weiss and Blake- in case they fell off the ledge.

Yatsu looked away. "It's a bit tight," he muttered into his collar. 

"Tight?" Fox asked. 

Yatsu blushed. "It hurts my nipples." 

A booming laugh sounded from where RWBY was preparing, Yang Xiao-Long nearly bowled over laughing. "Oh God, the dude who barely even wears a toga to battle is complaining that his nipples are gonna hurt! What, is he gonna think bad thoughts at the Grimm after he gets thrown off the ledge?!"

Velvet stood up for her teammate, stopping from her quest to take quick photos of everyone's weapons. "Hey! You can hardly talk, what's Ruby doing?"

Ruby poked her head up from the maze of wires and boxes laid out in a semi-circle around her and Noir. "Noir said this was a tradition from where he came from! That Guardians listened to music while they went to work!"

Everyone looked over at Umbra and Sanguine, the other two Guardians quietly checking their own weapons. Seeing the looks, both shrugged. "He wasn't  _lying_ ," Sanguine admitted, "It's just normally we play them in our helmets and don't set up speakers." 

"Speaking of," Umbra noted, "where did you even get all these speakers?"

Noir chuckled. "I called in a favor."

* * *

 A dingy bar in Vale:

"Are you in?" Noir asked the drunk. He looked at the Hunter with lidded red eyes.

"So you want me to help you break into the Atlas embassy in Vale," he slurred, "where we will likely be shot for trespassing, so you can steal some radio speakers and do... what, exactly?"

"I dunno, in case of a rainy day scenario. Maybe I just wanna stick it to Ironwood. You in?" 

Qrow snorted. "You had me at giving the Atlas military a black eye purely to spite them." 

* * *

 "OK, but why is this important _now_?" Fox pressed. "Surely there's more important things to prepare."

Noir shrugged. "Ruby and I have been prepped for the last few minutes," he admitted. "So we ain't got much better to do until this thing shows up. Relax, I'm told my taste in music is impeccable. I'll be inspiring from the back!... Almost literally, since I'm gonna be using a sniper rifle." 

"If you put on Duran Duran-" Sanguine warned, cocking her rifle for good measure.

"... I should clarify that my taste has become impeccable since I started taking criticism on it." Noir paused. "But yeah, maybe this isn't the best idea at this exact moment, I'll admit. Maybe we should stop, Ruby. Shame, we only had a few wires left to go." Noir turned to see Ruby hastily stuffing something furry into her bag. "... You brought Zwei on the mission." He said flarly. 

As Ruby turned, a stammered excuse on her tongue, Zwei burst back out, perched magnificently on the top of the motherboard. "I couldn't just leave him alone?" 

"Why not just ask JNPR to look after him?" Blake asked, backing away from the happy corgi.

Ruby gave Blake a Look. "You'd trust Nora with a dog?" 

"Would she be bad at it?" 

"Yes!"

Blake nodded. "Then yes, I'd trust her with a thousand dogs. I'm a cat Faunus Ruby, dogs and I _don't get along._ "

Zwei stood above such abuse, tail wagging as he waddled over to Coco. The beret-adorned Huntress obliged him, scratching behind his ears before returning him to Ruby. "Just keep him behind us Red." Coco said gravely. "This Grimm's managed to get trained Huntsmen teams to retreat. If this tower falls, Vacuo's power grid suffers."

Ruby nodded, face setting like stone as she loaded Crescent Rose again. "Well it's never fought teams RWBY and CFVY!"

Coco chuckled, slapping Ruby on the shoulder. "Let's get the bastard," she grinned. Fashion Statement folded out of her purse as she walked back over to CFVY. 

A deep rumbling afoot caught everyone's attention, along with an inhuman screech as the Grimm began to climb up the tower. It was the usual colors the Grimm, red and black, but this one seemed to be inspired by an octopus. With teeth. Lots. And Lots. Of teeth. 

It had to have nearly three dozen tentacles pulling it up as it climbed the tower. 

Noir gulped. "I have never been more glad to not be a Japanese schoolgirl," he muttered.

Everyone cocked their weapons, Velvet manifesting Yatsu's sword, and as one they charged in with a giant roar, pouring fire into the best while leaping and grappling around to distract it. It was a truly heroic scene.

But Zwei didn't care about that. There was this Big Red Button by where his master had been doing her tinkering thing, and Zwei loved pushing Big Red Buttons. Which he did. With his nose. 

_Electric Light Orchestra- Mister Blue Sky_

As the music began, Zwei began to bob along to the funny noise coming out of the speakers, following some of the trailing lights on the ground. He sniffed the _shit_ out of those lights, tail vibrating at near-subsonic speeds. 

Behind Zwei, Noir had been firing from a distance with his rifle, before a tentacle knocked his platform off balance. Large plumes of fire fill the air as the platform slammed into one of the solar panels, sparking an explosion. One of the panels rolled along lazily behind everyone until it fell off the ledge. Another tentacle snatched him out of the air before he fell, tossing him onto the ground. He skidded along, stopping near Zwei, and groaned softly. 

"If you want something done right," he growled, drawing a large sword and revolver before charging in himself, shrouded in electricity. Zwei paid no heed, for he had found a glowing circle that made him shine most radiantly.

_Sun is shinin' in the sky, There ain't a cloud in sight_

He was so radiant, in fact, that he completely ignored Yang beside him, getting repeatedly slammed into the ground over and over. Every time she hit the dirt, Zwei thought he heard a funny little sound coming from her. 

Behind Zwei, as he danced in his circle of light, Sanguine hit the ground face first, legs sticking up at a funny angle. Coco dashed over, pouring fire into the Grimm with her big gun as she helped the Warlock stand up. Much of the rest of the students were busy flying around with glyphs and Semblances and grappling hooks, trying to find a weak point in the hide. 

_It's stopped rainin' everybody's in a play, And don't you know  
It's a beautiful new day, hey hey_

Sanguine fired a burst before taking off, Coco standing her ground, roaring with her minigun and her voice. She noticed Zwei, still not caring, still at his circle. "Come on ya little furball!" She cried, before a tentacle slammed into her chest, knocking her off her feet.

_Mister Blue Sky, please tell us why, you had to fly away for so long (so long), where did we go wrong?_

Zwei continued on his way, skipping merely. Yang desperately reached out to the corgi, being pulled away before she could say anything aside from a high-pitched whine as parts of her hair got snagged on the tentacle. 

Ruby was ahead of him, firing round after round into the beast. She saw Zwei out of the corner of her eye. "Zwei! Get out of the way!"

Zwei stood there, panting with his tail wagging.

She fixed him with a smile. "Hey boy." She took off in a stream of rose petals,, leaving Zwei to keep wandering. 

_Hey you with the pretty face, Welcome to the human race!_

Zwei leapt to and fro like a four-legged ballerina that he had seen Aunt Raven watch once (She had bribed him to get his silence when he walked in as a new puppy). He froze as someone slammed into the ground behind him, Blake twitching in pain. Zwei froze. She was in need... of _love!_

"No," Blake groaned as Zwei leapt onto her face, giving her the love and care that only a corgi could provide. Her face was thoroughly cleaned by the time she finally regained enough sense to knock him off and rejoin the fight. How rude of her. He was only trying to help! 

 _A celebration, mister blue sky's up there waitin'_ _And today is the day we've waited for!_

Zwei gallivanted across the circle, stopping in his tracks as something leaped off of the big slimy tentacle monster. A Creep, he believed they were called. This could not stand; Zwei was the only one allowed to roam freely on The Circle! He had marked this as his territory! Any attempts to tresspass would be met with death! And thus, Zwei charged the Creep, inspiring fear in the beast and making it attempt to run. 

It shouldn't have tried, Zwei reasoned. It would just die tired. 

Zwei bit into a chunk of the Creep's neck, tearing a portion of muscle free. He started to bit into it, feral instincts taking over, when an armored hand pried him away from the Creep. 

"No, no no!" Umbra scolded him, pulling the chunk free and tossing it over the ledge. "Spit it out!" The Titan commanded, and Zwei reluctantly complied. She gently placed the dog back down, picking up her large rocket launcher and firing a string of missiles at the large Grimm.

 _Hey there mister blue_   
_We're so pleased to be with you_   
_Look around see what you do_   
_Everybody smiles at you_

Zwei chose to use the tentacled Grimm as a moving obstacle course, dashing between the appendages and screaming Huntsmen as they fled from the mouths, teeth and tentacles. Noir in particular was very jumpy around the tentacles. 

And then the Grimm breathed _fire,_ which really wasn't that fair for everyone present as there became less ground to flee to. 

Zwei tripped over a small ledge, banging his head against the speakers as the song began to wrap up. This made him excited, since if he hit the Big Red Button enough, the music would come back-

Velvet flew through the speakers and haphazard mixing station, the music cutting out. The Rabbit Faunus struggled to get up, spitting blood as her Aura shattered. 

And Zwei saw  _red_.

* * *

 "Red!" Coco cried out, slamming away a tentacle. "Your dog's killing my partner!"

Ruby looked over at Zwei, teeth latched onto Velvet's ear as she ran around in circles screaming bloody murder. "Bad Zwei! Let go!"

The dog froze, looking at his master with the most adorable puppy eyes. 

Ruby almost broke, but Velvet using the most adorably bunny eyes just about convinced her to side with the Faunus in this case. "I'm not joking Zwei! Let go!"

Zwei whined, but jumped off Velvet's head, waddling off somewhere else. Ruby sighed, loading another magazine into Crescent Rose as Noir and Yatsuhashi slammed down beside her. "How're we doing?" 

"Poorly," the Hunter groaned as he got back up. "This thing's hide is insanely thick." 

"What if we try gutting it from the inside?" Yatsu leaned heavily on his sword, Aura flickering. 

"That trick only works in the movies! Everyone knows that skin's just as hard on the inside as it is on the outside!" Coco barked. "Only a complete and utter idiot would try something like that-"

"GET SOME!" Yang cried as she flew into the mouth of the creature, trailing fire. 

Everyone blinked. 

"We're all gonna die," Velvet groaned as she tried to straighten her ears. Zwei didn't care about all that though. He found a new toy to chew on!

"Wait," Velvet said suddenly, feeling at her hip. "Where's my camera?" 

Everyone turned. 

"ZWEI!"

* * *

**If you've seen Guardians of the Galaxy 2, this scene should be familiar to you. And by familiar, I mean a complete and utter ripoff and I'm kinda not sorry. This is another crossover with Hunters, though they're background characters. Honestly, this could have easily been a non Hunters story, but I wanted to justify the music in-universe because I'm pathetic like that.**

**Zwei's fun. He's a dog so I ain't got a lot to say here. I kinda always wanted to do Zwei's story like this, so this didn't really change. I did consider actually finishing the fight scene, but since this is meant to be Zwei's chapter, I left it in the air.**

**Besides, you know who won.**


	10. Shock and Awe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein a Hunter staves off boredom, a Maiden makes new friends, and a Warlock makes a suitably fitting entrance.

**Oh hey, I get to write about a season I can tolerate more than half of now. Well, I'll get to when we reach Volume 2. We ain't there yet.**

**Someone asked if Grimm Eclipse was still canon to this story, which I found amusing because I had just finally bought it the day prior to the review (It's, um… a game? Yeah, it's a game. No strong feelings for or against it). Since they were a Guest review, I couldn't respond, so I'll just say here: Yeah, Grimm Eclipse is still canon. I don't go around making things not-canon just because I can.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Beacon, CCT:

It was a week into the first semester break at Beacon, meaning many of the students had left for the short break to go home. It meant that for those who stayed at Beacon, they had a large amount of free time to spend doing whatever they wanted to within legal reason.

For Noir Malphur, this meant training, which meant trying to stab someone.

Amber ducked under his first swing, staff coming up to deflect his off hand. She slammed it against his knee, blasting him back with a gust of wind. He rolled into the landing, rolling onto his feet before charging again.

Umbra and Sanguine watched passively as the Maiden and the Hunter went back and forth. In lieu of any better ideas and sparring partners, a space had been cleared up in the subterranean basement Amber lived in to serve as a training area.

"She's getting better with the staff," Umbra muttered as Amber slammed the jewel-laden staff into the back of Noir's knee. "We can help with the martial stuff, at least. This whole Maiden thing's a different ball park." The Exo hesitated. "At least, for Noir and myself. I'm sure your own training has given you some tips you can pass along to her."

The Warlock nodded as both combatants managed to kick the other's leg out from under them at the same time, hitting the mat. "It's surprising, how applicable my knowledge on the Void is with Aura. The core teachings cover much of the same ground, though the more specific fields of manifesting Aura are far different."

"I'm sure you've been in your element with these new things to study."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Sanguine chuckled. "Aura is the manifestation of the soul. For one thing, confirmation that we do, in fact, have a soul. Through the Light, we can stimulate the effects, potentially even unlocking the Aura of more mechanical people." She shot a look at Umbra.

"I'm good for now, thank you. I don't doubt my sentience, but I feel like if this Aura thing is unlocking my soul, better to give my body a few weeks to get used to it before taking the plunge."

Sanguine nodded again as the fight continued. "Understandable. But anyway, the whole soul thing has me wondering. When someone with Aura dies, where does that energy go? Can a consciousness be kept around, or transferred into a new object, maybe even a person?" Her brow furrowed as she took out a notepad and scribbled a note on that it that simply said "Whiteboards."

Umbra looked back, seeing that the fight was nearing its end. Noir twisted Amber's staff out of her hands, kicking her back into the wall. He lunged forward, blades slamming into the wall inches from her neck.

Noir chuckled, sliding the blades into sheathes on his back and offering Amber a hand up. "You're getting better, Leaves. Good shot on the legs." He winced as he felt the backs of his knees. "I'm gonna be feelin' that in the morning."

Amber smiled easily, her staff shooting over to her in a gust of wind. "My ribs cried for vengeance, so I delivered." She paused. "Wait, Leaves?"

"You keep a pouch of the things. Figured it's a start if nothing else. And yeah, message received." Noir looked over at Umbra and Sanguine. "Hey, didn't hear you come in. Amber had an idea for tonight."

"What's the idea?" Umbra asked.

"I got to talking with Qrow last night on the scroll and he mentioned a few good places in Vale." the Maiden replied. "I need to get out of Beacon anyway."

"Night out shouldn't cause a problem," Sanguine noted. "Besides, going out for a drink would be a good way to catch up."

Noir seemed to nod as if he realized something. "Why not? Could be fun. Most of the students are gone for the next few weeks, so I should be able to take the night off. Especially with most of RWBY gone- they're frickin' disaster magnets."

Sitting down and throwing his feet up, Noir let out a content sigh. "Yeah, a few weeks of no RWBY getting caught up in terrorist plots, or bullying. Just time to kick back and _relax_ …"

He trailed off, face hardening. "I'm gonna go nuts," he mumbled. "I need a mission." Getting back up, Noir made for the elevator, brow furrowed. He was still muttering to himself as the door closed.

"Is that… one of those Guardian things?" Amber asked.

"Yes," Umbra nodded. "Hunters get, put bluntly, cabin fever. They don't like being stuck around with nothing to do. This is the lesser of two evils. Better he finds something to do over making something to do."

"What's bad about the second thing?"

"It usually involves copious amounts of fire and screaming."

* * *

A nondescript warehouse:

Cinder Fall took in the scene below her. The White Fang were hard at work on carrying crates around with a trained precision that had been effectively drilled into them over the past several months.

Her scroll vibrated, a message from an old friend.

_Ironwood's fleet arrives in the next two weeks. I'll be going dark, but I have the utmost confidence and faith in you kid. The people I acquired should be arriving about now, I trust you to brief them on their job. See you on the other side._

She smiled, tucking the scroll back into her pocket as two people walked in. One was a man in shades, wearing a full suit with gloves and a handkerchief wrapped around his neck. His hair was rusty red, slicked back. The other was a woman- rabbit Faunus, she was casually dressed in a black leather jacket and red shirt over denim jeans. She had her brown hair cut at her shoulders, and wore enough smiles for the two of them.

Mercury and Emerald intercepted them. "Think you're lost buddies," Merc drawled. "Nothing for you here." Emerald had her hands behind her back, ready to draw within seconds.

The Faunus kept smiling. "Well that is a shame, isn't it Shade? His name is Shade by the way, I'm Violet. But we were told by a distinct gentleman, who told me to tell you about his _stunningly_ green eyes by the way, told us this exact warehouse was where we could acquire clandestine work. Is that not what he said Shade?"

Shade shrugged as Violet continued to speak rapidly, her Menagerie accent making comprehension a little tricky. "He might've said something about the colour green."

Mercury and Emerald looked at each other, Emerald relinquishing her grip on her weapons. "He did say something about that," she muttered.

"So, we are in the correct place?" Violet beamed at them. "I hope we can be great friends! Just because we're all involved in a conspiracy against Beacon doesn't mean we can't make some friends along the journey. Am I right or am I right Shade?"

Shade pulled off his sunglasses, appraising the warehouse as Cinder made her way down to the assembled group. "From what I've gathered since we shared a flight, you're not usually wrong."

"He catches on quick! Are you the other infiltrators?"

Mercury shook his head. "There's two others that will have to… tolerate you. We're more outside assistance than anything."

"What Mercury means," Cinder drawled as she stepped up to the new arrivals, "is that due to outside circumstances we cannot show our faces at Beacon. Professor Ozpin would not take us arriving kindly. Hence, why we have recruited you two in our place."

"What's the job?" Shade folded his arms.

"An infiltration job. You two and two others will be inserted into the list of teams from Haven Academy that will be competing in the Vytal Festival. During that time, you'll be monitoring the events and reporting back on key events and stimuli as they appear."

"Sounds easy enough," Shade rumbled. "but teams require four. And Violet may have enough air in her lungs to talk for four people- no offense, darlin'- but they don't count that as a team."

"Your other teammates will be arriving soon, I assure you-"

Cinder was cut off by another door in opening, two White Fang grunts dragging someone, kicking and screaming, between then. Another one walked up, pulling a pistol out of one of the boxes.

"Wait!" The woman screamed. Bleached white hair and dark skin exposed by a sleeveless waistcoat and leather pants. "I'm expected to be here! Hey, lady in the red dress! Green-eyed-dude sent me here, told me to look for you!"

"Why were you sneaking around then?" One of the grunts snarled.

"Do you ever enter a building without scoping it out first? First rule of staying alive, be the most paranoid person in the room!"

Cinder sighed. "Let her go," she said with a casual wave of her hand.

The grunt hesitated. "Are you sure-"

"Did I _stutter_?" Cinder's eyes flashed with orange fire for a second, and the grunt decided he wanted to live.

"Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am," he mumbled, releasing the captive. She walked over, rubbing her wrists.

"Thanks, would've ended badly for them. I'm Mel by the way, Mel Anin."

"They had a gun to your head," Mercury noted.

Mel smiled casually. "Semblance."

"Ah."

Mel looked over at Violet and Shade. "So then, what's the gig?"

"There's enough people now that we can begin the briefing in earnest," Cinder replied. "Come with me."

Cinder led the group into the back of the warehouse, where Torchwick had a board set up with a map of Vale. The criminal was already here, eyes pouring over a ledger.

"Oh look, more kids. Because there isn't enough of them in this city," he muttered.

"Play nice Roman," Cinder murmured. "We're still waiting on your contact to fill out the ranks."

Roman grinned a shark's grin. "Are you?"

The sound of shattering glass filled the room, and the chair beside Roman was not occupied with a woman about four or five years Roman's junior. Her entire colour scheme could only be described as 'mismatched,' a never-ending mix of white and pink.

"A pleasure to meet you," Cinder said, and the girl smirked casually. "An illusionary Semblance is always beneficial. May I ask your name?"

The woman took out a scroll, texting on it. Everyone's scroll vibrated, and they all checked the notification.

_Neopolitan. Call me Neo._

Violet strolled forward, taking Neo's hand and shaking it. "I'm Violet Neo! I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between you and I."

"With everyone here, let's get started." Cinder sealed the door shut behind her.

* * *

The Foolish Note Tavern: 22:49 PM:

Upon meeting Amber, Noir had seen her lithe frame and thought she'd be a little like Ruby- fast, energetic and capable of extreme ultraviolence. The only thing he had gotten right was the violent nature.

Despite her short stature, Amber could drink with the best of them and had no problem slamming back several rounds. She had been nearly crying when the first drinks arrived.

"I've missed this," she sobbed into her drink, Sanguine laying a hand on her shoulder. "Booze. People. Talking. You know how much I talked to myself down there? A _lot_. It was pathetic."

"Well, now you've got us to talk to," Noir drawled. "And let me tell ya Leaves… we've got some crazy stories."

After that came the stories. The exaggerated, the truthful and flat out _weird_.

"And then Qrow shows up," Amber finished, "and he's- he's just got this look on his face like he's not gettin' paid nearly enough for this shit, and meanwhile I'm still missing my shirt, the Beowulf got its head stuck in a log, half the place is on fire, and I swear to god this entire bandit gang takes one look and just fucking leaves!"

Noir cackled, choking on his drink slightly. "This is fantastic," he wheezed. "I'm gonna miss this when I head off soon. I've an early start."

"Where are you going?" Umbra asked. The Exo and Awoken had been leery of going to the bar once more thought was put into it, but the patronage was more concerned with their own drinks than the blue woman and the robot. Amber had been curious to see Umbra drink, but the Exo was quick to note that yes, she could eat and drink.

"Oz has CFVY on a mission up to the Mountain Glenn ruins. I asked if I could tag along, and Coco doesn't mind."

Amber's face fell slightly at the mention of the city. Umbra caught it. "Mountain Glenn?"

"An attempt to expand Vale's walls with a subterranean city," Sanguine explained. "It fell a few years ago. A lot of people didn't make it out before they sealed the walls. Otherwise the Grimm would have breached Vale."

"Sorry, I just had some family there," Amber muttered. "I'm sure you'll be fine. I hear CFVY are hot shit?"

Noir chuckled. "I should be fine so long as I don't think to complain about the minigun purse."

Amber nearly spat her drink out. "That's _real_?"

"I know, right?"

"You know I heard she calls it her Fashion Statement, 'cause no one's gonna mess with it?"

"And you have to work with her?" Amber laughed.

The conversation concerning dumb weapons went on another five rounds, when Noir accepted defeat. "Alright, I need to be up early, I have to head off." He made to get up, but stopped. "Actually, can I get one more story out of you before I go?" He asked Sanguine.

"Shoot."

"How'd you two meet up?" He gestured towards Amber.

"Oh. I never explained?"

"I never asked. But I've been meaning to, just never found the time."

"Right." Sanguine took a drink of water in advance. "So, this about nine months ago…"

* * *

Nine Months Ago, the forests of Mistral:

It was a quiet evening. The trees swayed loosely in the wind that was dying down for the night. The animals were wandering silently through the woods, but no howls permeated the wind. Aside from the dark, ominous clouds overhead, it would have been a peaceful evening.

That was until a flat oval of blue light, shaped like cubes, formed in a small clearing. A body fell out of it, landing on their knees.

Sanguine had experience with out-of-body experiences. Using the power of the Void required walking in the deepest shadows of the galaxy, so she wasn't too perturbed at being flung through time and space when she touched the artefact. Damnable Warlock curiosity had screwed her over again.

"Icarus? How're things looking?"

The Ghost materialized at her shoulder. "Oxygen and CO2 levels are tolerable. Currently working on quick repairs for any systems that sustained damage through that trip. No satellites to get topographical data from, weird."

Sanguine got up, grabbing her rifle. Checking along the sights and nodding, she slid a new clip into it, racking back the slide. "Any information you can give me, then?"

"That magnetic north is to your right?"

"It's start." Sanguine chose instead to walk west.

It was slow going for a spell, in part because this neck of the woods had no real paths to walk in and in part because Sanguine was exhausted. Dimensionally travelling through an experimental rift in time and space was exhausting enough, but getting right back up afterwards and pressing on did little for her stamina.

The pathway Sanguine was charting through the woods eventually cleared, opening on a dirt track that went north and south. To the north, the trees began to thin out, indicating the end of the forest, while they only drew in density as she looked south.

"The trees thin out," she murmured. "Might mean there's a settlement nearby, a place that's cutting the trees for firewood."

She began to walk north, clearing the trees within a few minutes and noting that the road now had a fence on both sides. Something caught her eye as she walked. Someone ahead, in a cloak, on a horse.

Sanguine groaned as a pain flared up in her ribs, Icarus appearing. "I'll try and heal you up, but that jump did a wonder on your internal organs. You're lucky I didn't need to revive you."

"Lucky's a way of looking at it," she gasped as she pulled her helmet off, dropping to her knees. She coughed into her hand, withdrawing it to see red on the black glove. "How bad is it?"

"It would probably be easier to list which organs weren't pulverised."

Sanguine got up. "If that horse came from near here, that confirms a settlement's nearby. I can rest there."

"If you're sure," Icarus said warily, dematerializing as Sanguine limped after the rider.

It was slow. Painful. But she kept moving, and soon that pain faded away as her body healed with the aid of Light. A few minutes went by, and her stride quickened, her posture straightened.

The rider paused in the middle of the road. Sanguine could see more clearly now- a woman on the horse, clad in a green cloak. Someone was standing opposite the horse. She kept walking, pace increasing somewhat.

The rider got off, pulling an apple from her saddlebag and walking forward, stopping midway between the horse and the interloper. She got down on a knee, showing the apple to thin air.

Sanguine reached the horse, just in time to see the interloper- another woman, green hair and red eyes- draw a pair of revolvers. She surged forward in Light, _Blinking_ in front of the rider and covering her as the bullets slammed into her back. Her armour stopped the rounds from penetrating, but the wind was still knocked from her lungs.

The rider leapt back, cloak flying off her as a retractable staff extended. She fixed Sanguine with a look. "Get out of the way!" She called out. Green-hair dashed past Sanguine, continuously firing, but the rider held out her hand, a barrier springing up and absorbing the bullets.

Sanguine called on the Void, pulling back Green-hair and putting herself between the assailant and the rider. More gunshots sounded behind her but she pressed on, empowering her palms with Void energy and blowing the gunslinger off her feet.

Sanguine felt a ripple of pain in her side- she still wasn't fully recovered. "Stand down," she growled. "Don't make me do something I'll regret." She hadn't ever killed a human before- Guardians were the embodiment of unity against the Darkness. A part of her hoped she wouldn't need to bloody her hands.

Green-hair got back up, no worse for the wear and smirking. "That threat would have sounded better if you weren't having trouble standing."

"Yeah, I'm having an off day," she admitted. A gust of wind picked up. Sanguine looked over her shoulder, seeing the horse rider glowing faintly in golden hues. Her other assailant- a man in silver with robotic legs- was recoiling faintly in horror.

Sanguine turned back to green hair, a smirk playing on her lips under the helmet. "But if nothing else? I can distract you long enough for her to kick your ass for me."

She drew her rifle, Outbreak Prime barely recoiling as she unloaded it. Even with the wind picking up, her aim was true, the shots slamming into the arms and torso of the gunslinger. A faint hue surrounded her as the shots impacted, each causing a small wince of pain but little else.

Barriers then. Terrific. She'd have to work around that.

The wind grew even more ferocious, Green-hair's eyes widening. Sanguine turned to see the rider floating in the air, wind picking up underneath like a hurricane. Above, lightning roared at her beck and call.

"Either she's a hell of a Stormcaller," Sanguine whispered, "or this is something entirely new."

The lightning picked up, the rider sending bolts down towards the assailants. She fixed Sanguine with another look.

"I told you to stay out of the way!"

Sanguine loaded her rifle, sighting Green-hair as she dodged the lightning. "I always was bad at following orders."

They tried firing again, but now she didn't even need to manifest a barrier to stop the bullets. She held out a hand, a gust of wind summoning a swarm of leaves around her. They stopped in mid-air, ice crackling as they froze rapidly. Sanguine Blinked to behind the rider, ducking as the ice-leaves shot down towards the assailants like a cloud of daggers.

Sanguine looked up at the storm, fresh pain lancing into her side. "I have a bad idea," she told Icarus. Before she could act though, she turned to see someone barrelling towards her. Another woman, in a red dress. Sanguine fired, but she ducked under the shots with a slide, kicking up a shroud of dust. From that, she manifested sharps of black energy, sending them flying into Sanguine and the Rider.

Sanguine felt one pierce her lungs and throat. She dropped to one knee as the rider fell behind her, choking as she tried to pry them out.

* * *

Amber got up in time to see the coat-wearing woman go down from a shard of Dust to the throat. Anger fuelled her as she got back up and stood in front of her ally, launching a flurry of kicks at the one in the red dress. But the leader let herself get pushed back as her grunts charged forward. Without the element of surprise, she had this, and she kept them back. Sure, they got some hits in, but her Aura was still strong and they were weakening.

She turned as she heard the twang of a bowstring, looking down in shock at the three arrows that formed a circle. They began to spark with fire, and Amber shielded her face as they detonated. She screamed as her Aura shattered and she lost consciousness.

Amber came to slowly, watching as the leader strutted forward. The person in the coat that tried to save her was getting up, but an offhand slice of a sword brought her back down with a sharp cry of pain as red began to stain her coat. Amber gritted her teeth as she tried to get up herself. She had never wanted this, never wanted to use these powers to hurt people. And yet it seemed that they always had a habit of hurting people that tried to help her, the woman in the coat that now had a slash across her back being just the latest in a long list.

But she got back up. Amazingly, she stood up behind the leader in the red dress, looking up at the storm that still roared overhead. She looked down at Amber, who started to get the idea. She did the calculations quick, figuring that she'd only have the one shot at this.

Amber threw her left hand out, rocketing the assassins back with a torrent of wind. Her right called on the lightning as the woman in the coat stood on shaky legs.

"You sure about this?" She called out.

"No. But it's the only shot we have."

Amber dropped her right hand, the bolt landing on her ally. The lightning crackled blue along her form. She clutched at her stomach as the energy poured into her wounds, before another bolt hit her. When Amber's eyes cleared, there was no sign of her. Not even a scrap of clothes.

In that fraction of a second where horror grasped at her heart, Amber gasped in both shock and pain as an arrow slammed into her chest.

* * *

Ikora Ray had once been asked what it meant to be a Warlock. Her answer was as short, succinct and expected of the Vanguard leader: Power. All Guardians had power, but few were as intricately one with the Light as Warlocks. Titans and Hunters merely used it as a channel for power, empowering themselves. But Warlocks became their element, fully submerged in Light. The ability to summon the Void came naturally to them, they had mastered the Solar Light and used it to cheat death itself, but the storm? The storm was where true power could be found.

Sanguine had gone into what was called the Stormtrance only a few times before. It could be a dangerous path to walk, since it required one die to awaken themselves to the power within. She had undergone some training when the path was opened to her during the Taken War, and the power that she felt that night on Mars as she became one with the storm was… exhilarating, intoxicating. She had nearly lost control, nearly snapped with the power in her grasp, but she had held on, returning to the physical realm of her body.

Here, in this environment, the temptation to slip away once from the mortal coil and become this storm was alluring. To become raw power, a force of nature that only gods could dream of commanding was a tempting siren's call. To be a Stormcaller was to open oneself up to that energy, of the Arc that resided in all life. To embrace the power of the storm, to be controlled by it for a few seconds… before turning it. Channelling it.

But a Warlock was more than raw power. True power, it must be noted, was in the understanding of how to apply power. The knowledge of when to unleash the fury of a storm on one's foes. She was a conduit between the sky and the earth, electricity and matter. Life and death.

And so, she returned to that field, snapping into focus with the roar of the thunder heralding her arrival like the war drums of the past. A blinding flash, and Sanguine hovered over the assailants, rejuvenated, at least for now, and shimmering with Arc Light. She snapped her hands out, the Arc crackling at her fingertips, and she smiled.

The rider looked up at her, clutching at her chest where an arrow had pierced it. The assassins looked scared, like this wasn't part of the plan.

"Boss?" The silver-haired one called out.

The one in the red dress frowned, eyes darting between the rider and Sanguine. Her right hand, covered in a glove, almost seemed to be pulsating, before she made her call.

"We're leaving." She pulled her other glove off her left hand, tossing it down. A circle of fire surrounded her and the assailants as they leapt in. Sanguine poured lighting into it, hoping to hear a yell of pain, but as the circle exploded outward, they were gone, leaving only a scorch mark on the ground as a remnant of their existence.

As much power as the Storm had, Sanguine knew she hadn't killed them. Part of her was glad at that, but she quenched it, alongside the Arc. It faded under her skin, the power rumbling until she channelled it into her many wounds.

The rider gasped in pain as she pulled the arrow loose. Sanguine dashed over.

"Are you alright?" She asked, turning her over.

"No," the woman groaned. "I think that arrow pierced my liver."

Sanguine ran a hand along the toned stomach, nodding grimly. It didn't go all the way through. "I can try and cauterize it until we find a doctor."

The woman grimaced. "Do it."

"What's your name?" Sanguine asked as she called the Arc back to her fingers.

"Amber."

"Amber, I'm Sanguine. I'm so sorry. But this is going to hurt a lot."

Sanguine pressed her hand down on the wound, and Amber screamed in pain as the hiss of burnt flesh filled her ears and nose, losing consciousness.

* * *

"Wow," Noir muttered as Sanguine finished. "So, what happened after that?"

"A whole lot of stuff," Amber answered. "Qrow showed up and nearly killed Sanguine, but I woke up in time to stop him before losing consciousness again. We got on the road after that, I unlocked San's Aura, she told me about you guys, I stopped Qrow from killing her, we made it back to Vale and then she got the recruitment speech." She shrugged. "Story for another day, basically."

"Huh." Noir nodded, before smirking. "So, a Warlock saved a Hunter, eh? First time for everything, I guess."

Sanguine frowned, a nudge of her fingers making a bottle on a shelf behind Noir fall onto his head.

"Don't hate me 'cause I'm right," he muttered.

"I have a question," Umbra asked. "No offense, but you don't put forward the best description of yourself in that fight. What was up with that?"

"I hadn't finished healing myself from the dimensional hop. You probably were fine due to your Exo frame, but organic bodies don't handle these jumps well without outside assistance. Add in low Light, and I barely did much."

"Kept me alive," Amber muttered. "So, I ain't complaining, trust me."

Amber's hand ghosted over Sanguine's, and the Warlock cast her gaze elsewhere, a rosy tint on her face- and not just from the alcohol. Noir and Umbra shared a look before Sanguine looked back at them.

"You know," Umbra said to Amber, "you're quite different from what I expected. I'm sure you get this all the time, but when I think Maiden, I was expecting something a little more… demure. Elegant."

"Is she saying I'm not an elegant lady?" Amber asked Noir. Despite the playful tone and quirk to her lips, he froze like a deer in headlights, a sinking feeling entering his gut compared to that of one walking over his grave.

"I think…" he said diplomatically, "that you're not one to care what others think of you. World be damned, you're you. And if people don't like that, then fuck'em."

Amber smirked, the smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Smart answer."

Bullet dodged, Noir got up. "But I really do need to head off. I'll see ya when I get back in a few days."

Leaving the warmth of the tavern, for the chill of Fall, Noir brought his cloak tightly around himself as he walked into the night.

* * *

**(technically) Three chapters? In one month? While also doing most of an Art Challenge? I'm on a fucking roll.**

**I've a few more scenes planned with Sanguine, Qrow and Amber set before Noir arrived, but I cut them here for time and brevity. The story's already hitting 5000 words.**

**Now, the Sanguine and Amber vs Cinder fight was** _**very** _ **different at first- Sanguine steamrolled through them before popping her Super, and was much more active with Light powers. I ultimately decided that Noir was fighting as well as he was because his Ghost had time to recharge after the fall. Sanguine, meanwhile, pressed on without stopping. If she had stopped, Amber would have likely suffered the same fate as canon, but that's my explanation for why she got her ass beat by Emerald.**

**That, and since CRDL put up a good fight against Noir, I figured Sanguine steamrolling Cinder, Merc and Emerald would go down about as well as an OC Marty Stu beating Adam in the first chapter of a story- read, poorly.**

**But I did make a list for why, if Sanguine had been in peak condition, she'd have won the fight; Cinder prepped extensively for Amber and wasn't expecting another ally to be there- she thought she'd have time before Qrow arrived. She also gathered a team built around taking out a Maiden. Finally, Sanguine showed up while Cinder's team were running low on Aura (Sanguine showed up later in the fight than here). While I stand by the belief that Sanguine could beat pre-Maiden Cinder, it ultimately doesn't make for a good story so I went with the nerf. Don't worry; I think Warlocks are the most powerful class in Destiny lore, so I'll give Sanguine her time to shine in the coming chapters.**

**And… that's pretty much it for now. Hope you liked it.**


	11. Wolves, Awakenings and Dress Length

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a Titan goes looking for some wolves, a Maiden has an awakening, and a Diplomat grumbles about dress length and the practicality therein.

Beacon. Ozpin’s Office:

“Good morning Ozpin,” Umbra said. The Exo had been called up a few minutes prior.

“Good morning Umbra, thank you for coming on such short notice. You might be aware that we have several security drones and trackers in place in the forested areas surrounding Beacon?”

“Noir had mentioned coming across these trackers when first arriving, yes.”

“The trackers are in place so that during the Initiation, we can keep a safe eye on the students, but during the remainder of the year, they allow us to get a sense of Grimm movements outside of the settlements. Last night, this image appeared on one of the trackers in Forever Fall.”

Ozpin pulled up an image on his desk, rotating it so Umbra could see.

“Wolves?”

“Wolves don’t live in Forever Fall. Either they’re slaughtered by the Grimm or are forced to abandon their home. I’d like to ensure that neither option happens.”

“Forgive me for my imprudence,” the Exo replied, “But I feel this is more than an animal recovery mission.”

“Look behind the wolves.”

Umbra leaned in, nodding as she saw what Ozpin meant. “Footprints. Human footprints.”

“Indeed. The idea of a tracker, alone in Forever Fall, does not bode well for their life expectancy. What with the students out and the Atlas fleet not having arrived, this is as good a time as any to head out there.”

“Understood. Find the tracker and the wolves, bring them back to Beacon?”

“Indeed. Doctor Oobleck will be accompanying you on this mission. Your ship leaves in an hour.”

“Want me to get Sanguine or Amber?”

“No need.” Ozpin smirked. “But if you wish to provoke a hungover Maiden, I’ll ensure your coffin is finely made.”

“I’ll pass then.” Umbra said dryly. She stood, nodding at Ozpin. “I’ll have a report when I get back.” She hesitated at the door. “Speaking of, have you seen either of them? I left early last night.”

* * *

Vale, Archway Motel:

Amber stirred slightly, a soft groan escaping her lips as her eyes opened in the motel room. The shutters were sealed shut, preventing the harmful sun from frying her eyeballs.

She looked under the sheets, nodding to herself. Naked as the day she was born. She took in the room. Clothes strewn everywhere, several bottles of alcohol scattered around in various states of emptiness. Nothing too out of the ordinary yet; this wasn’t the first time she had gotten blackout drunk. She looked to her right, sucking her breath in through her teeth as she took in the still-sleeping form of Sanguine, chest rising and falling softly as she slept with her bare back to Amber. Amber groaned, resting her face in her hands.

“Damnit, I did it _again_.”  

* * *

 

Vale, Warehouse District:

“Morning misfits!” Mercury said cheerfully as he walked in to where the supposed infiltration team had stacked some crates together. A collection of cards and lien chips adorned the table between them. Shade looked as curiously apathetic as usual, Violet was managing to maintain coherent conversation with Mel and Neo at the same time, and Emerald was eyeing up the lien scattered on the table like a ravenous wolf.

Shade tipped his hat to Mercury as he walked in. “Mornin’ mister Black. You seem cheerful today.”

Mercury waved the envelope in his hands, slapping it down on the table. “Your profiles came in. Looks like the boss wasn’t joking when she said she had friends in high places over at Haven.”

“Yippee for competency, I guess.” Mel muttered as Neo cut the envelope open. Inside were four scrolls with a sticky note attached to them bearing a single letter connected to each of the infiltrators.

There was silence as everyone did a first glance over the scrolls. Violet, Neo and Shade all looked happy enough- they’d get to keep their first names and would just have to change their surnames to fit in. Mel looked irritated.

“Melanin Rouge? What kinda name is that?” She sighed. “I suppose I’ve had worse cover names.”

“Seems standard enough,” Violet mused. “But the boss lady’s sure her contact in Haven can get these files set up?”

“You can count on her. She doesn’t make false claims,” Emerald replied. “Though obviously enough, stay the hell away from anyone actually _from_ Haven.”

Neo rolled her eyes, the obvious statement not going down well with the mute as she saw her own file with the name “Neopolitan Ragno.”

Shade looked at each member of the team. “We have a few weeks before the ship from Haven arrives. I don’t mean to sound overbearing, but I expect Team SLVR to have these files memorized like we lived them.”

“The file doesn’t mention our Semblances,” Mel noted.

Mercury shrugged. “Think I ever went to an academy? I don’t know what they track in those files.”

“No,” Mel smirked. “They have entrance exams Merc, which have words that don’t fit in comic panels. Your poor brain would leak right out of your ears.”

Mercury narrowed his eyes at Mel as Emerald snickered behind her palm, ultimately choosing to walk away now that his delivery job was done.

“You do have a point,” Shade quietly murmured. “Should we apply cards to the table and talk about our Semblances?”

“Talk about,” Violet asked, a glint entering the Faunus’ eyes, “or demonstrate?”

“I’d rather not level the warehouse without the Boss’s permission, so let’s just talk about them.”

Violet pouted, but nodded.

“I guess I’ll go first then,” Shade stood up. “My Semblance lets me exert control over someone if I make skin contact with them. Longer I can keep the connection, the more I can make them do things they normally wouldn’t do.”

“What kind of timeframe are we talking here?” Mel asked.

“Five to ten seconds and I can make you punch your friend, disorient you for a few seconds after that. Half an hour, an hour?” He shrugged. “I’ve never tried to make a connection that long, drains my Aura a lot. Don’t worry about touching me, I can control it. Otherwise, I can’t make people do things that they’ve never even considered. They need to have at least entertained the concept or it won’t stick in their head.”

“So, mind control?” Violet surmised.

“Effectively,” Shade nodded. “What about you then?”

“I’m not asking you to fire it, but can I see your gun? Or just a gun?”

Mel drew an SMG out of her bag, flipping it so Violet could take the handle. Violet held up a hand. “No, I just need to see it.”

Violet’s eyes flashed green, and from her right hand came an almost exact replica of Mel’s weapon, forming from green wires that multiplied.

“Weapon duplication,” Emerald said. “Nice.”

“It runs in my family. My sister can store weapons, but I’m limited to whatever I can see. Have to make eye contact with the weapon’s user before I can replicate it.” Violet locked eyes with Mel again, the weapon fading away in her hand. “What’s your superpower then?”

Mel snapped her fingers, a flat yellow oval manifesting behind her. “Kinetic absorption and volatile redistribution,” she recited like reading the back of a cereal box.

Everyone stared blankly at her.

Mel sighed. “I can set this barrier up to absorb kinetic force, then move it and cause it to explode.”

Everyone nodded in understanding.

“Kinetic only, by the way. Can’t stop Dust rounds beyond the cartridge itself, and elemental attacks will pierce it. If it goes, I get disorientated for a few minutes.”

Violet held up her hand. “If it absorbs kinetic energy, could you use it to jump off a building and survive the fall? Have you done that?”

“That has… never crossed my mind,” the sniper admitted. “Not eager to try, though.” Mel focused on Neo. “And what about you, short, bright and mute? What’s your Semblance?”

Their scrolls vibrated with a text.

_Look above you._

Neo shattered into a thousand glass pieces, each disintegrating as it hit the ground. Everyone looked up, seeing Neo perched on a rafter above, smirking confidently down on them.

“Illusions,” Shade muttered. “Interesting.”

* * *

 

Forever Fall:

The last time Umbra had been in Forever Fall, it had ended with a large swarm of Grimm attacking her soon after she first arrived in Remnant. Much as she looked forward to a fight (she was a Titan after all), she was hoping the return trip would be less explosive.

At least the ship was less crowded this time- just her and Doctor Oobleck, as he had politely asked she call him. She respected that- he had earned that doctorate after all.

“There’s a clearing about half a click from the sensors you’re after,” the pilot’s voice came from the speaker. “I’ll drop you there and wait for you.”

“Fine by me,” Umbra said, sliding shells into her shotgun.

“Very well, pilot. Do keep an eye out for any wandering Grimm.” Oobleck spoke rapidly as he stood with his… thermos stick. She’d have to get used to people who didn’t like normal guns and had to stick guns to everything else.

She’d have preferred to have been using the Khvostov, but Ruby had found herself with other matters and the remaining repairs had been delayed until she found the time.

The door opened, and both Huntsman and Titan wandered into the blood red forest. Rothwild set a path on Umbra’s HUD for where the wolves had been spotted.

“Miss Umbra, may I ask you a question?” Oobleck asked as they set a trail through the woods.

“You just did Doctor,” she replied bemusedly, “but of course.”

“This path of life you have taken, what inspired it?”

Umbra wasn’t aware how much Oobleck had been told by Ozpin about the Guardians. He seemed a good man, but she was less willing than Noir or Sanguine to divulge details that did not need to be shared. “I suppose I was born into this. Much of what I remember of my life was training and combatting the enemy, in whatever form it took. So, I guess nothing in particular _inspired_ this choice, Doctor. It’s just the path I know, so I walk it.”

“Interesting. And if you hadn’t been born into it, as you say, do you believe you still would have become a Huntress?”

“Without a shadow of a doubt. And I’d prefer to be called a Titan, if possible.”

“Very well. May I ask why you prefer that title?”

“I don’t see myself as a Hunter. Let me ask you, what do you think of when you think of a Titan?”

“A stalwart defender of their domain.” Oobleck tilted his head, not breaking his stride. “You see yourself more as a defender than a combatant?”

“Much as you see yourself as a teacher rather than a fighter. For me, being a Titan means being connected to something and fighting for it. I am a part of this city in a way in a way no Huntsman or Huntress could truly understand. As you said, I am a defender, taking on the dreams of the people on my shoulders.” Umbra let some Light flow into her hand, the flames tickling along the gauntlet. “Some of my brethren- fellow Titans, as we called ourselves- found their homes outside of walls, honed their craft. But I am comfortable in a city like Vale, a place like Beacon. It has walls that need defending and people within looking to live their lives, and while I have power, I shall be that defender, striving to keep my city warm during the long nights to come.”

“You seem sure of yourself,” Oobleck tipped his pith helmet. “An admirable quality. Forgive me for prying, I make a habit of asking the students why they come to our school, hoping to get them to examine their motivations.

“I will forgive you, in exchange for you forgiving me for prattling on as long as I have.”

“It’s more tolerable than when Professor Port does it, at least.”

“I have yet to meet him.”

“Allow me to save you some time. Don’t.”

The conversation trailed off as they arrived at the clearing where the wolves had been spotted, which was near the bottom of a mountain. What caught their eyes was not the absence of wolves now, but the dying Grimm scattered around.

Oobleck sniffed. “I smell gunpowder in the air. If these Grimm have not yet decayed, we would have barely missed the shooter. It appears Ozpin was correct that the wolves have a tracker of some sort protecting them.”

“Which means they might be camped nearby. Will I look for that while you look around for the wolves?”

Oobleck nodded, and Umbra ventured past the clearing and into the woods.

“Rothwild, can you do a scan for any caves close to here?”

“Certainly.” A brief pause. “I found one close by.”

“Perfect.” The spot was marked on Umbra’s HUD. Weapon at the ready, she pressed through the trees. The motion tracker showed no signs of movement, which failed to put the Titan at ease.

Umbra nearly walked onto the landmine before she saw it. She tapped her helmet. “Doctor, our tracker’s set up landmines. Watch your step.”

_“Understood.”_

Umbra crouched, lightly shovelling the dirt around the mine to get a better look at it. It was a finely made explosive, set to trigger if enough pressure was placed on it.

Umbra flinched. “I know this make of landmine,” she whispered.

It was a grenade she had often seen Guardians twirling between their fingers with little regard for their safety. A Tripwire Grenade.

 _“Umbra, I found a campsite.”_ Oobleck’s voice came through her scroll. _“The embers are still warm, so we just missed our tracker.”_

She found her voice eventually. “Is there any hope of finding them?”

_“I have yet to find any tracks leading away. If they don’t want to be found, we won’t find them. We should return to Beacon.”_

Umbra sighed, reaching out to disarm the mine before pocketing it. “Got it, I will return to the Bullhead.”

She got up, looked at the cave before walking away. She knew she wouldn’t find any answers in there.

* * *

 

Atlas-Vale Embassy:

Maintaining the peace between the kingdoms was as much a vital part of society as fighting the Grimm. After all, no one would be able to fight the Grimm if they were busy lodging a knife in someone’s throat. Thus, while some might see acting as an emissary between General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin as a glorified secretary role to prevent the two from needing to speak directly at each other outside of when necessary, Hollen Blackthorne, Atlas Specialist, took on the job with the civility and humble nature that had seen him earn the rank of Specialist aged twenty-seven. Now, twelve years on, he stood as chief Consulate of the Atlas-Vale embassy, and had the ear of Ozpin himself.

And honestly? Hollen would never admit this to anyone, but he did prefer Ozpin to the general on occasion. Ozpin was cordial, even occasionally remembering his birthday, and tried to avoid stepping on any toes for Hollen by refusing to pester him. Ironwood, in contrast, would tell him a day in advance “We have a prototype gynoid in Vale, try and keep her under control.”

He didn’t _hate_ Penny. Penny was, frankly, adorable. He was reminded of his own daughter when she had been younger, before she went into that teenager phase of wearing short skirts and lighting everything on fire. She was twenty now and she had yet to grow out of it, it was disconcerting. He hadn’t taught her how to fight just so she could wear a ludicrously impractical outfit that barely offered protection. 

Penny was… chipper. Almost too chipper, no one lasted as long as she did in Atlas and wasn’t tempered by the harsh cold of those lands. But then again, Penny wasn’t exactly normal. Or human.

Hollen rapped on the door to Penny’s room as he slid his scroll into his coat pocket, waiting for her to say “Enter!” before he came in, standing in the door.

“Salutations Specialist!” Penny appeared to just be lying on the bed that had been set for her. No books, no loud music, no scroll calls. It was… quite lonely. Holden had once heard of an Uncanny Valley; where something that looked like a human aroused a sense of unease in the person viewing it. Penny often fell right into that valley, something Holden had noticed from the moment he met her as they left the dockyard after that scuffle with the White Fang and those Beacon students.

“Good evening Penny,” Hollen nodded. “I just finished a call with General Ironwood pertaining to you.” He hesitated. “And… the recent incident in the docks.”

“Oh.” Penny’s face fell as she sat on the edge of the bed. “I did not mean to cause any trouble by going away, but a friend of mine was in trouble and needed help!”

“I know Penny,” his eyes glittered slightly in the low light. “You aren’t in trouble, we were just worried when you ran off like you did. Vale can be a scary place, even for someone as combat ready as you.”

He moved forward, sitting beside Penny and placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’re just looking out for you. You’re a very special girl, Penny. And it is admirable, truly, that you’re willing to help someone in need like this friend of yours. What did you say her name was again?”

“Ruby. Ruby Rose.”

“And she’s at Beacon. Penny, should I tell you’re the rest of the conversation I had with the General?” Penny nodded. “It regards the Vytal Festival. You will be partaking on behalf of Atlas, and during that time you’ll be assigned a partner- one Ciel Soliel. As such, it’s decided that you two getting to know each other in a casual environment will be best.”

“Does that mean I’ll be going outside?”

Hollen nodded. “And other places. The General was hesitant about it, but with me organising communications with Headmaster Ozpin, I’ll be able to keep an eye on you if you wish to venture into academia at Beacon for a time.”

“That sounds delightful! Thank you for the news, Specialist!”

Hollen chuckled, rubbed Penny’s hair playfully before getting up. “This won’t be for another several weeks, but I’m sure you’ll see your little Rose there as well.” He tipped an imaginary hat to her. “I’ll leave you to rest, I still have some paperwork to finish. Good night, Penny.”

“Very well. Good night, Specialist!”

He closed the door. He didn’t know if Penny slept, didn’t wish to know. Hollen could play nice with anyone, given enough time and the foresight to leave his Semblance off.

He hadn’t been lying. He still had a lot of work to do tonight, between preparing for the Vytal Festival and ensuring that the Atlas diplomats were all squirreled away in hotels or here in the embassy. His night was just beginning.

* * *

 

**Ragno, for reference, is Italian for Spider. Rouge is a makeup, but Mel fits the Colour Rule by her first name- Melanin being the pigment that gives our skin and hair their colour.**

 


	12. Food Theft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein a Hunter is robbed, a Maiden is blunt and a Titan is stunned.

**I should probably have a disclaimer here before anyone gets any ideas. RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Destiny belongs to Bungie and Activision.**

**For reference, this is about a week later following from the next chapter.**

* * *

 

The students began to speak in hushed whispers when Team CFVY returned from their mission. Even though they had only been second years for a semester, CFVY had already set themselves into the folklore of Beacon with their devil-may-care attitude, impeccable fashion sense and ability to face the most dire of odds and escape unscathed.

Thus, it came as no surprise that when CFVY entered the cafeteria, they were made to bask in the adulation and praise of the gathered students (Which is to say, Coco basked and the rest of the team were very humble about the proceedings). No one noticed the cloaked figure who slipped into after CFVY, stuffed a tray with food, and left with no preamble. Crossing the campus, he entered the CCT and walked through the giant lobby into the elevator. Entering, he punched in a string of numbers, slouching against the wall and sighing as the elevator descended into the depths.

The door opened, Noir walking into a vault-like room. Sitting against his wall and crossing his legs, Noir rested his head against the wall as he began to eat real food for the first time in nearly a week.

“Rations,” he darkly muttered as he tore into a bread roll. “are the bane of my existence.”

“Can’t say I’ve been… fortunate enough for that.”

Noir choked on the bread as it went down the wrong airway, glaring at Amber. The Maiden stood against the wall, trying (and failing) to hide a smirk at his predicament.

“What the heck? Ya coulda killed me!” he rasped, rubbing his throat.

“And how long would that’ve last?”

“… About six seconds, but it’s the thought that counts!”

Amber held up her hands. “Alright, OK. I’m sorry for making you choke.” She eyed the tray as she sat beside him. “You gonna eat that soup?”

“…” Noir placed it between them, pushing it with two fingers. “So,” he said eventually as they ate, “I miss anything cool?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You’re the one who went on a mission.”

“Fair enough.” He rubbed the back of his head. “It got… complicated.”

* * *

 

Mountain Glenn:

“Wait, a camera?”

Velvet eyed the Huntsman who signed on to their little training mission. He was tinkering with a large two-handed rifle that crackled with electricity, adorned with a small glass at the stock in place of a sight.

“Well, yes. A camera. What, Coco has a minigun purse and that’s too insane?”

“No, see, her weapon still works as a _weapon_ as otherwise crazy as that concept is _._ You just… take holiday snaps.”

“Velvet has a good reason for using a camera,” Yatsuhashi rumbled, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he passed by. “Hopefully, you won’t need to see it in action.”

Noir let out a noncommittal sound, going back to tinkering with his giant rifle. Velvet’s curiosity finally won out.

“I’m sorry, but what is that thing?”

“This?” He hefted it up. “It’s a complicated little thing called the Sleeper Stimulant. I don’t know the science and I don’t want to, but trust me. If I’m firing this, stay away.”

Velvet, on instinct, took a picture of the Stimulant as Noir loaded a clip of charges into the weapon.

“Otherwise?” Noir shrugged. “Nothing really important happened. We came, we saw, we killed a lot of Grimm and levelled a building. Just a typical recon mission.”

“Recon?”

“Oh, yeah. Oz wanted to clear the forests a little in advance for the Festival. Mountain Glenn tends to be a popular hotspot where they corrugate, so that’s where CVFY were going. He did mention they may have to go back, though.”

“Huh.” Amber’s gaze drifted back to the tray, and the steaming cup of coffee that sat unused. Noir caught her looking, before sighing and handing it over.

“Next time, you’re going up for it yourself. I really doubt that Red Dress will be ordering her drink as you surface.”

Amber took an experimental sip as Noir spoke, nodding at the taste. “You have a lot of sugar in this.”

“Insomnia.” He replied flatly. “I need the rush. You don’t like it?”

She shrugged. “Nah, it’s fine. I’m not picky.”

“Meaning you don’t mind it since someone else paid for it,” Noir muttered.

Amber chuckled. “Guilty as charged.” She looked at him over the rim of the cup. “You sure nothing else interesting happened out there?”

“Well,” he hesitated. “There was our return trip. See, the Bullhead had gotten hit by a Nevermore feather and the pilot was wounded, so we had to fly ourselves out.”

“In the damaged ship.”

“Well, we tried calling a repairman,” Noir shot back dryly, “but it turns out the insurance didn’t cover us in Mountain Glenn. So yeah, we had to fly back in the damaged ship.”

* * *

 

“The pilot’s still bleeding out!” Velvet cried as she and Noir kept putting pressure on the wounds the pilot had sustained. Yatsuhashi held him down by the legs as he frothed and raved. Coco, stumbling as another part of the ship fell off, poked her head into the cockpit where Fox sat calmly.

In the distance, the tips of Beacon’s towers poked over the clouds, and Coco sighed as the landing pads came into view. “There, the medics got the call. Fox, land right next to them!”

Fox gripped the controls tighter. “Right,” he said slowly. “Land.”

“You do know how to land a Bullhead, right?”

“I might have forgotten to mention,” Fox admitted, “that landing an aircraft was in my _next_ piloting class.”

Coco took a second to process what Fox was saying. “Brace for impact!” She barked over her shoulder.

“Oh dear,” Velvet muttered quietly as she and Noir began to strap down the pilot. “this is going to hurt.”

“I never got my in-flight peanuts!” The pilot raved.

* * *

 

“Yikes.” Amber winced.

“Good thing Goodwitch was there and grabbed the ship out of the sky, otherwise...” Noir shuddered. “I don’t wanna think about that.”

“What happened to the pilot?”

“Got ferried off to the hospital. Should be fine.”

Amber nodded, crumping the cup in her grasp. “So then, what’s the plan?”

“The new semester starts soon. Ozpin and I have been talking. There’s a class called Advanced Survival.”

“Really?” Amber’s eyebrow rose, “I had that in Shade. It’s just living out in the wilds, right?”

“Yeah, but a bit different subject material here compared to a desert. But hunting, fishing, camping, extracting resources, how to live in the wilds with Grimm, trapmaking, field repair, first aid, all that jazz.”

“Sounds like something up your alley.”

“It’s what I figured. I’ll sketch out a thing for the rest of the year and keep it small. But if it works?” Noir shrugged. “It’d give me something to do aside from sitting around all day going crazy.”

“Yeah,” Amber said with mock offense, “that’s my job, get your own thing!”

Noir chuckled. “See, that’s the thing. I’m legally required to have a teaching aid, ideally someone who’s lived out in the wilds. I figure you’re getting bored living in this vault, and it lets me keep an eye on you. Everyone wins, right?”

“Uh,” Amber looked away for a second, “thanks. Not sure what I can offer, though.”

He shrugged. “Eh, don’t worry about it. I’ll likely be making half this up as I go anyway.” He got up, dusting off his pants. “Been fun Leaves, but I’ve some reports to file and teaching things to prepare. See ya ‘round?”

Amber nodded, dragging the tray over to her as Noir took off. Waste not, want not.

* * *

 

 Amber was snapped out the food-induced coma (As it turned out, the high metabolism Aura wielders required meant that over-eating was more than a little bad for you) by a polite cough from above. She groaned softly as she got up, rolling her shoulders at looking at Sanguine.

“Can we talk?” The Warlock asked without preamble.

Amber shrugged. “Sure. About what?”

“This morning.”

“Oh.” Amber frowned. “Think I made my thoughts on that _well_ and truly clear.”

“Yeah, something about pretending it never happened and storming out while forgetting your bra?”

“Mm-hm.” Amber crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. “Listen, Sanguine, I don’t do serious stuff like that, OK? Just in principal, I got burned before, it ended badly, and I moved on. That, and I have three rules.”

She began to list them off, Sanguine listening attentively. “One, never date within the team, it only makes things awkward. Two, never date someone you’re going to spending extreme amounts of time with in close proximity because if and when it goes bad, that’s even more awkward. Three, drunken one night stands are _not_ the basis for a healthy relationship.”

Amber sighed. “It’s nothing personal Sanguine, and you’re a good person. But it wouldn’t end well.”

Sanguine nodded slowly. “You sure seem to put a lot of thought into this.”

“Let’s just say there’s a good reason I came up with those rules and that this isn’t my first rodeo. I didn’t take getting the Maiden powers well, OK? Just, please, treat it as something that happened if you want, but _move on_.”

A slow nod. “Alright. Just wanted to see what was up with it. I got my answer, I’ll move on. No problem.”

“Thanks. Not my proudest moment, just... a moment of weakness. Won’t let it happen again.”

“No harm no foul. I’m a big girl, Amber.”

“Huh. I was expecting this to be more volatile, honestly.” Amber rubbed the back of her head.

“We’re grown-ups,” Sanguine shrugged, “not hormone addled teenagers. You said it yourself, we got drunk, did stuff, now we can move on from it. I just brought it up to figure out where you wanted to go with it. And again, like you said. Not my first rodeo.”

“Alright then.” Amber rolled her shoulders, tapping into her Aura to get the muscles fired up. “Feel like a spar?”

“Sure.”

* * *

 

Ozpin’s Office:

“… so yeah, that’s the basics of the Advanced Survival curriculum, or at least the first draft of it,” Noir finished, taking back his Scroll. “Something I’m tossing around for before the first years go on that training mission is to have them actually living rough before then. But it’ll depend on how they do prior.” He stroked along his face, fingers dragging the stubble. “Might hold off on it until after the mission,” he muttered.

“Regardless,” Ozpin looked at him from over his spectacles, “this is rather well put-together for a first draft. Glynda can help you narrow it down and figure out how to apply it to a classroom.”

“Traveller knows I’ll need the help.” Noir agreed. “So then, what time will suit for the classes?”

“Barring combat classes and field placement, all classes have three one-hour sessions scattered across the week. Fitting in your classes should be no challenge.”

“Good to hear. If that’s everything then, I’ll just-”

Noir was interrupted by the elevator door opening, Umbra walking out. The Exo blinked in surprise. “Apologies, I can return later.”

“Nah, I’m just leaving. Don’t let me bother you.” Noir slipped by Umbra, patting her on the shoulder as he left.

“Umbra,” Ozpin said after the door closed. “Welcome back. How did your reconnaissance with Doctor Oobleck go?”

“Poorly. Our tracker and her quarry were gone right before we landed. I nearly blew myself up getting this out.” Umbra reached into her pocket, taking out the landmine she’d found in Forever Fall and placing it on the table. “Don’t worry, I disarmed it. But that kind of explosive, unless you’re about to tell me otherwise, is a popular make for Guardians to use.”

Ozpin frowned, picking up the mine and turning it over in his hand. “You believe that more of your Guardians have surfaced on our world?”

“Again, unless you’re about to tell me that those landmines are a common sight here.”

“Forgive me for being behind on my research on landmines,” Ozpin replied sarcastically, “but I can make inquiries. I have friends in various militaries that can tell me if they’ve seen this make before.”

“I don’t mean to be trouble. But if they come back with nothing, I’ll be heading out again. I won’t feel comfortable leaving a Guardian out there when we could help them.”

Ozpin began to reply, but a low vibration rumbled on the desk. Rothwild materialized as Ozpin took a call at the same time. _“Sir? We’re getting reports from some students that there’s someone with wolves standing in front of the fountain statue. They said you were looking for them?”_

 _“Hey, sorry to bother you mid-meeting,”_ Noir spoke at the same time, filtered through Rothwild’s speakers. _“But trust me, it’s worth it. There’s something here in the courtyard you need to see.”_

“What is it?” Umbra murmured.

A chuckle with a slight hint of mania was the only reply for a few seconds. _“It’s, uh… you need to see this for yourself. You wouldn’t believe me otherwise.”_

Noir hung up, leaving the principal and the Titan there for a few moments before Ozpin got up, snapping out his cane.

“Well now he has me curious,” Rothwild admitted. “What do you think?”

“Twenty Glimmer it’s something on fire.”

“Fifty that it’s a Fallen Dreg that just fell out of the sky.”

“I’ll take that,” Umbra muttered as she entered the elevator. The ride down was short (Traveller bless fast elevators), the door opening again less than a half minute later. Noir was waiting near the exit to the courtyard outside, rubbing the back of his head while wearing a sheepish grin.

“Just outside,” he gestured with his head to Umbra, leading them outside. A group of students just freshly back for the semester formed a small crowd around the statue that adorned the fountain.

A woman stood in front of the statue, face hidden behind a stark white helm adorned with a golden symbol and a plume that adorned the top of it like a mohawk. Her arms wore patchwork green leather, right hand bundled and padded. A silver chainmail-like chest piece with a white tree painted on kept a pale white cloak in place alongside a belt holding various tools in place.

She seemed to be appraising the statue, head tilted as she stood with her hands on her hips before seeing Ozpin. “Nice statue,” she opened, voice seeming quite young given how she carried herself. “Can’t say I’m fond of what’s happening to the wolves.”

Umbra froze mid-step, catching Noir’s smirk as he backed up again. “Lady Efrideet?”

Efrideet’s head turned to Umbra. “Young Wolf. I appear to be lost.”

“And now you’ve been found.” Umbra gestured to the wolves. “You seem to have made friends.”

“What can I say?” The Hunter shrugged, “I’m a people person.”

“I take it you’ve met?” Ozpin said.

“Yeah,” Noir chuckled. “Ozpin, meet Lady Efrideet. For lack of a better word, Umbra’s boss.”

“Can she teach?”

“Yeah.”

“Fair enough, I’ll offer her a job. I have made a habit of giving world-hoppers positions here upon arrival.” Ozpin cleared his throat. “Lady… Efrideet, was it? I don’t mean to be crass, but I wish to discuss something with you. Can you follow me? We can look after your… companions while we talk.”

Efrideet shrugged, gesturing at her wolves to stay while she followed the headmaster, the Hunter and the Titan on the way back to Ozpin’s office.

“What have I gotten into?” She muttered to Umbra.

“It’s…” Umbra hesitated. “It’s a long story.”

* * *

 

**Yep. Lady goddamn Efrideet is on Remnant. Hey, Iron Banner’s wrapping up soon, she’s gonna need something to do.**

**To explain some things- Umbra was the ‘protagonist’ of Rise of Iron in this story, so she became the Young Wolf and a member of the Iron Lords. Barring House of Wolves, that’s the general rule for Destiny 1- each of the Fireteam had a hand to play in some, if not all, of the Strikes, Raids and main missions.**

**I am sorry this was a rather Amber-dominated chapter, but that’s just the way it wrote itself. I wanted to resolve the scene from last time with Sanguine, then she showed up at the start, and now the omake… I suppose it’s better than just using OCs, even if Amber is effectively one judging by how far I’ve taken her personality. I’m rambling. I should stop.**

**This should be the last pre-Volume 2 chapter, by the way. After this, the timeline will be leading into Best Day Ever and I can stop saying that I’m setting up events.**

**And now enjoy an omake that I’m not really sure on (Which really describes this entire chapter, honestly), but coffee leads to strange things.**

**In advance, Hunters may go on hiatus after this one since I feel like I may hit burnout soon. I want to take a step back and plan out the rest of the Volume 2 and 3 scenes in advance so I’m not making this up as I go, but I also have story ideas that I want to do that are screaming to get out. If Hunters is going on hiatus, I’ll likely start, if not finish, something new and then jump between them as the situation calls for it.**

* * *

 

Omake:

To hell with Ozpin, Amber could get a damn drink of coffee without needing to worry. So, there she was, in one of Vale’s premium coffee establishments, ready to get a steaming cup.

There was a problem. She’d come during the morning rush, so she was in a queue that was refusing to move. She’d been there for nearly an hour and was only now about to reach the counter… were it not for the asshole in front of her who had failed to notice her turn was up. She was still there, tapping away on her scroll.

Amber was a sweet, gentle soul most of the time to all she met. She’d even given a kid some change out of the kindness of her heart on the bus here. But the crucial difference was that said gentle soul was usually caffeinated prior to meeting people. She was not ready to face the day, which meant someone had to die.

She coughed loudly, trying to get the asshole’s attention. This failed to rouse her from her technology-induced slumber. Amber sighed, making eye contact with the barista and making the universal gesture for “can you believe this?”

Another minute passed, and Amber had enough.

“Hey, asshole, you’re holding the queue-” Amber’s words died in her throat as she grabbed the person’s shoulder, turning them to see a familiar pair of amber eyes that blazed like the sun. It was that _bitch_ in the red dress.

And she looked exhausted, bags under her eyes and hair ragged. Her eyes narrowed. “Maiden,” she said calmly.

 Amber wanted to fry her alive. Smash her under a bolt of lightning and level the damn place on her skull. She also wanted a cup of coffee.

“Can we not?” They both wound up saying at the same time.

“I just wanted a drink,” Amber muttered.

“You have no _idea_ what I’ve gone through over the last few hours.” Red Dress grumbled. “I have been herding cats that masquerade as humans.”

A sharp cough cut them off, a cat Faunus looking particularly unimpressed. Red Dress frowned, but turned and ordered her coffee. Amber followed, and the two took seats opposite each other.

“Make no mistake,” Red Dress mumbled into her coffee that she was hunched over like it was a lifeline, “I am going to kill you eventually. When I can walk in a straight line without yearning to die.”

“Feeling’s mutual, ya psycho.” Amber replied into her fat free, soy milk, caramel macchiato (She felt like being fancy, sue her).

“But… I can’t kill you without coffee. So, can I get a rain check on the whole…” She waved her hand airily through the air, exposing enough of her cup to let Amber see her name was Cinder. “Murdering each other thing?”

“Sure.” They lapsed into silence, both steadily sitting more straight as the coffee jumpstarted their souls.

They wound up getting three more cups before leaving, chatting until Cinder’s scroll went off. She left, leaving a napkin with a number on it as she sashayed out.

* * *

 

**… New trash ship con-fucking-firmed.**


	13. Shit's dead, yo.

**Hey. How ya doing? If you’re reading this, I’ve some bad news.**

**Back when Destiny 2 was first announced, I decided to not include content from it in Hunters. The reason was, at the time, to avoid the “Ah, I could always do these things, I’ve just never done them before now!” cliché.**

**But now that we know more about Destiny 2, and because of personal reasons, I’m gonna rectify that statement.**

**Effective immediately, Hunters of the Dark in its current form is dead. I will not be further updating the story and will not be planning anything in that universe for a time. There’s a few reasons:**

**The first is, as mentioned, Destiny 2. It’s on the horizon now, Beta’s out next week and I’m gonna be on that like a tick on a dog. It’s gonna be a game-changer for the Destiny universe and lore, and I’d like to use that content in Hunters.**

**The second is because I have been failing to deliver quality work the last few chapters. Between rushing to get more out, consequences be damned, and focusing on other works at the time of writing, I rushed the last four to five chapters. I feel my standards have slipped significantly, and I don’t want to ruin the story because of that. I love Destiny and RWBY, so I want to deliver a quality product.**

**The third is RWBY Volume 5. This is mostly the same deal as Destiny 2- it’s coming out soon, and I want to integrate it into the story, particularly stuff like Raven and the Relics. I owe a lot of RWBY lore to the World of Remnants, so having another season of them would be invaluable.**

**And finally, reason four. I want to get better at writing. Jumping straight in with a massive crossover was ambitious, but I need more practice. Again, I want to deliver the best story I can.**

**So where does that leave the story? Well, I’ve put a lot of thought into Hunters and I’m not quite ready to let those thoughts die, so the plan is this: I’m waiting for Destiny 2 and RWBY Volume 5 to come out, and in the meantime I’m going to write more stories to get better at writing. When I feel I’ve gotten better, and when I feel I’m ready, I will restart Hunters of the Dark. I doubt I’ll wait for Destiny 2’s expansions, but it’ll be easier to integrate them retroactively than it will be to include an entire game. Even still, I’m not likely to start the story until the Volume 5 finale in February. I’ll certainly begin plotting it, but there won’t be anything publicised before then.**

**Tldr: Story’s dead because I feel it’s turning to shit and I over-reached for my first story, I’ll be re-starting it next year-ish when I get better at writing and when more lore sources come out.**

**Thanks for reading Hunters, I hope you understand why I’m doing this. See ya around, folks.**


End file.
